ARV Treatment and Time Allocationto Household Tasks: Evidence from Kenya

Abstract

Using longitudinal survey data collected over a period of twoyears, this paper examines the impact of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment onthe time allocated to various household tasks by treated HIV-positive patientsand their household members. We study outcomes such as time devoted tohousework, firewood and water collection, as well as care-giving and care-seeking. As treatment improves the health and productivity of patients, wefind that female patients in particular are able to increase the amount of timethey devote to water and firewood collection. This increased productivity ofpatients coupled with large decreases in the amount of time they spend seekingmedical care leads to a reduced burden on children and other householdmembers. We find evidence that boys and girls in treated patients’ householdsdevote less time to housework and other chores. These results suggest that theprovision of ARV treatment generates a wide variety of benefits to householdsin resource-poor settings