Human Capital Investment Expenditures: A Comparison of Female-Headed and Married-Couple Households

미국가계의 인적자본에 대한 투자

the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of household type on human capital enhancement expenditures and to compare the difference in these expenditures between female-hemale-headed and married-couple households. Data for this study were from the 1990-91 Consumer Expenditure Survey(CES) and consisted of a sample of 7,225 married-couple and 1,391 female-headed households with children under age 18. The dependent variable to measure human capital expenditures was the sum of four sub-components-education reading leisure and health care expenditures. Tobit analysis with a dummy variable for household type was used to identify the effect of household type on the dollars spent on human capital expenditures. The effect of household type was significant in human capital expenditures indicating that female-headed households spent significantly less for this category than did married-couple household holding other factors constant. the findings of this study suggested that income from a public assistance program was associated with lesser expenditures on human capital while social security income source was associated with greater human capital expenditures, It was also found that the addition of family members between ages of 6 and 17 positively affected human capital expenditures. Understanding these factors is useful for family resource management professionals who work with female-headed households.