Natural Resource Dependence: Implications for Children's Schooling and Work in Chile

While natural resource dependency has been a feature of the Chilean economy for decades, its influence on Chilean society remains underexplored. This research analyzes data from a nationally representative survey of Chilean households to understand the implications of household and residential dependency on natural resources for children's school attendance and work. Descriptive results indicate that collectively children of household heads employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing, or mining are less likely than others to attend school and more likely to cite problems of access to schools and economic difficulties as reasons for not attending school. They also are more likely to work, help at home, or engage in other idle activities than attend school. Multivariate hierarchical models suggest that observed disadvantages are largely accounted for by lower levels of parental education and by the location of households in rural, isolated, and impoverished locales. Important differences across natural resource industries are observed.