The influence of the woman’s opportunity costs of time on the food consumption in Brazil

Abstract

We estimate income-consumption equations or Engel curves to analyze the influence of the woman’s opportunity cost of time on food consumption in Brazil. The micro data come from the national budget survey Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF) 2002-2003, carried out by the Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Based on the theory of Household Production and making use of the Heckman procedure, it was verified that the woman’s opportunity cost of time is positively related to household expenditures on time saver foods (demand a shorter time to be prepared) and negatively related to household expenditures on time intensive foods (demand more time to be prepared).