Abstract

This paper analyzes the socio-economic correlates of multiple child deprivations in Kenya using the 1993–2014 KDHS. Conventionally, child well-being is examined from the perspective of income poverty. However, numerous studies have argued that income is just one of the defining characteristics of poverty. Furthermore, examining child well-being only through monetary lens risk leaving behind millions of children because children are not economic agents. Despite global recognition of the importance of having a comprehensive measure of child well-being, there is a dearth of literature on multiple child deprivations. This study utilized data on seven child-specific dimensions of well-being. First, we counted the number of dimensions each child was deprived and then ranked them from those who were not deprived to those who are deprived in four or more dimensions. Second, we examined the distribution of multiple child deprivations by various characteristics. Finally, we investigated factors associated with multiple child deprivations using an ordered logit regression model. The results reveal that rural children, male children and children living in households without access to electricity and under female headship, on average, suffer higher incidence of multiple deprivations than their counterparts. Children with higher birth orders, twins and from rural residence had higher probability of suffering multiple deprivations while higher maternal education, employment of the respondent were associated with lower chances of a child suffering multiple deprivations. The findings of the study suggest the need for integrated policies targeting multiple forms of deprivation and strategies to ensure access to public services in remote areas.

摘要

本文使用 1993-2014 年 KDHS 分析了肯尼亚多重儿童剥夺的社会经济相关性。传统上，儿童福利是从收入贫困的角度来考察的。然而，许多研究认为收入只是贫困的定义特征之一。此外，仅通过货币视角检查儿童福祉可能会使数百万儿童落后，因为儿童不是经济代理人。尽管全球都承认全面衡量儿童福祉的重要性，但缺乏关于多重剥夺儿童权利的文献。该研究利用了有关儿童幸福感的七个特定维度的数据。第一的，我们统计了每个孩子被剥夺的维度数量，然后将他们从没有被剥夺的维度到四个或更多维度被剥夺的维度进行排序。其次，我们通过各种特征检查了多种儿童剥夺的分布。最后，我们使用有序 logit 回归模型调查了与多个儿童剥夺相关的因素。结果表明，农村儿童、男孩和生活在没有电的家庭和女性领导下的儿童平均遭受多重剥夺的发生率高于同龄人。出生顺序较高、双胞胎和农村居民的儿童遭受多重剥夺的可能性较高，而母亲受教育程度较高，受访者的就业与儿童遭受多重剥夺的机会较低有关。研究结果表明，需要针对多种形式的剥夺和战略制定综合政策，以确保在偏远地区获得公共服务。