Early effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on children in north-western Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Using data collected through a structured telephone-based survey in north-western Bangladesh during the height of the pandemic, we present evidence on the effects of household specific shocks on rural children induced by the COVID-19 lockdowns. We focus on three child-related outcomes: time use of children during school closures, plans regarding children’s future schooling, and the incidence of child marriages. We find that respiratory illness and job loss experienced in the household lowered expectations of a child’s future school continuation and increased the probability of marriage-related discussions for girls. The return of a male migrant led to a reduction of children’s time spent doing paid work, while the return of a female migrant led to a reduction in children’s time spent caring for others and doing household chores. Our findings offer a cautionary tale regarding the potential long-term effects of the pandemic and school closures on girls in developing countries.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• school closure
• child marriage
• children’s time allocation
• Bangladesh

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• I25
• J12
• O53

Acknowledgments

We thank participants at KDIS-3ie-ADB-ADBI, NEUDC, and IPC conferences for their valuable comments and suggestions. We extend special thanks to Md. Mohsin and his assistants at the MOMODa Foundation for their sincere efforts in conducting the telephone-based survey in Gaibandha, Bangladesh. Financial support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, KAKENHI-18H00856), and Stars in Global Health, Grant Challenge Canada (GCC) (ST-POC-1909-28916) is gratefully acknowledged. Any errors, omissions, or misrepresentations are our own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2023.2245363

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. The proportion of women aged 20–24 years married or in a union before age 15 and 18 is 16%, and 51%, respectively (UNICEF, 2020).

Additional information

Funding

This research is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, KAKENHI-18H00856), and Stars in Global Health, Grand Challenge Canada (GCC) (ST-POC-1909-28916).