Intrahousehold and interhousehold child nutrition inequality in malawi

Abstract

This paper investigates whether child nutrition inequalities are attributable to differences between households or differences within households in Malawi. Child nutrition is measured using height-for-age z-scores. The empirical analysis uses the 2006 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey data. We find evidence of within household nutritional differences along gender, age and birth order lines in Malawi. The results for rural and urban areas as well as religious groups show that nutrition inequalities largely stem from differences within households. Both intrahousehold and interhousehold nutrition inequalities are unexplained by observable factors.