Gendered Misallocation of Agrarian Labor

The gap in agricultural output between men and women has long been documented in Malawi, with the difference in productivity estimated to be 28%. Standard explanations for this productivity gap point towards disparate quality and quantity of capital farm inputs. We test a novel explanation for disparities in agricultural between men and women in Malawi: child-bearing as a unique shock to household labor supply that inhibit women from efficiently utilizing their land and maximizing potential yields. Pregnancy and child-rearing are negative shocks to women’s available labor, since women’s time and productivity is compromised by physiological changes and child-rearing responsibilities. In frictionless land, labor, and credit markets, women should be able to make productive use of their land when their own labor supply is inhibited. We test if labor and credit market frictions prevent pregnant and postpartum women from optimally using their land. We partner with an organization that provides loans for capital farm inputs to implement a randomized controlled trial with female farmers who are pregnant or have a child under the age of one year old. We randomly select women for whom we subsidize the cost and search frictions for hiring five days of agricultural labor during the farming season. We test the impact of resolving labor and credit market frictions on agricultural and health outcomes.