Family structure and income in Brazil

Abstract

The influence of family size in the per capita family income between 1992 and 2007 is investigated by data from the National Household Survey (PNAD) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Income inequality indexes, such as Gini and Theil T, and its decomposition by Theil T index, were estimated for family size. Results show that inequality among family represents a significant share of total inequality in per capita family income distribution, and that demographic changes occurring between 1992 and 2007 contributed towards an increase in Brazil’s inequalities due to the fact that they occur faster in the distribution’s higher part. Key words: income distribution; family size; Brazil. Classificação JEL: D33.