Consumption Pattern of Male and Female Headed Households: Evidence for Pakistan

This paper aims to investigate the consumption patterns of male and female-headed households in Pakistan. According to the findings, both types of households spend about half of their total expenditure on food and drinks. Furthermore, compared to their male counterparts, female-headed households spend a higher percentage of their income on education and healthcare. On the other hand, male-headed households spend a larger share of their expenditure on food and drinks and entertainment than female-headed households. The budget shares for food and drinks, fuel and lightning, and clothing and footwear decline, while that of education, durables, healthcare, and entertainment rise with the increase in total expenditures in case of both types of households. The aged heads are found to be more diet and health-conscious; and thereby, with the increase in age, the expenditures on food and drinks, healthcare and education increase. Results also reveal that with the increase in the dependency ratio, the budget share increases more on food items than non-food items. Finally, with a higher level of education, the budget shares of education, entertainment, durables, healthcare, and fuel and lightning increase.