Gender differences in household education expenditure in Malaysia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21515654 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarimah Surianshah (0000-0001-6718-7226, Universiti of Malaysia Sabah), SARAH BRIDGES (0000-0002-1471-1116, University of Nottingham) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 163-179 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Social Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-8293 • E-ISSN: 1758-6712 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijse-03-2024-0247 |
| OpenAlex | W4409516437 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
Purpose The objective of this study is to examine gender differences in the allocation of household expenditure on education in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the determinants of expenditure on education using a double hurdle model, where the decision to incur education expenditure is modelled first and followed by the decision on how much to spend on education. Findings The results show evidence of significant gender differences in the allocation of expenditure on education. For young children (4–12 years) and adult (18–23 years), this bias tends to favour females, while for secondary-aged children, the bias is pro-male. Practical implications These findings may reflect a cultural shift in attitudes towards female education, although the effects are likely to be compounded by a lower completion rate of boys in upper secondary education, a growing concern that cannot be ignored by the government, policymakers or households. Originality/value This study utilises the Malaysia Household Expenditure Survey (HES) 2022 dataset to make two important contributions. First, conditional on enrolment, it investigates the extent to which there are gender differences at the household level in the allocation of expenditure at every level of education. Second, it examines the model by region and includes intergenerational effects in examining its indirect effects on the gender gap
Demographic economics · Economics · Energy expenditure · Labour economics · Socioeconomics · Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Medicine · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Endocrinology
Economics and Consumer Behavior
Some Statistical Models for Limited Dependent Variables with Application to the Demand for Durable Goods
Executive function and academic achievement
Do better schools lead to more growth? Cognitive skills, economic outcomes, and causation
Predictors of the gender gap in household educational spending among school and college-going children in India
Family Size and Food Consumption
Gender discrimination and inequalities in education expenditure in India
The analysis of household surveys
Human Capital and the Rise and Fall of Families
Does Household Income Affect children’s Outcomes? A Systematic Review of the Evidence
Group‐Based Redistribution in Malaysia
Differential impact of maternal education on under-five mortality in rural and urban India
Gender differences in intra-household educational expenditures in Malaysia
Economic and social development along the urban–rural continuum
Are Girls the Fairer Sex in India? Revisiting Intra-Household Allocation of Education Expenditure
Fertility and education
Intergenerational mobility, intergenerational effects, sibling correlations, and equality of opportunity
Investing in sons or daughters? The educational aspirations of rural parents in China
Socioeconomic origin, future expectations, and educational achievement
Long-Term and Intergenerational Effects of Education
Where Has All the Bias Gone? Detecting Gender Bias in the Intrahousehold Allocation of Educational Expenditure
Consistencies and contradictions
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |