A new approach to poverty in Brazil: a bidimensional measurement of well-being

Abstract:

This article analyzes poverty in Brazilian families using a bi-dimensional measure that considers both income and time allocation. The Vickery methodology (1977), in which poverty isoquant curves are built for each type of family structure, is used to identify the proportion of generalized poverty. The percentage of involuntarily and voluntarily poor families is also estimated. Among the results obtained, it can be seen that poverty rates increase significantly when time is considered as a resource because working parents, especially in single-parent families, very often do not have the time to perform essential household chores. A higher percentage of generalized poverty is found among single-parent families and among those with a higher number of children. The highest percentage of involuntarily poor people is found among families with a high number of children.

Keywords:
poverty; well-being; time allocation