Impact of family composition on poverty levels in Peru

Abstract

The present study uses data from the latest version of the National Households’Survey, an annual representative survey carried out in Peru, to determine whether family composition and structure can predict household
members falling below the poverty line, or protect them from doing so. The results obtained from a multiple regression study indicate that families consisting of parents who live in a free domestic partnership with underage children, households with large numbers of members, and poor quality employment of the head of the family are all factors that can increase the possibility of being
poor. On the other hand, the variables related to lower probabilities of poverty are: having two or more income earners in the household, living in an urban area, having a better education, and a female head of the household; all these factors protect families and reduce the effects of poverty