Is there a link between quality of employment and indebtedness? the case of urban low-income households in Ecuador
基于2002年厄瓜多尔城市贫困工人调查数据，研究发现就业质量低（尤其是非正规就业）会导致更高的债务偿还压力，且女性就业质量低于男性，债务负担在家庭成员间分配不均。
The paper explores the incidence of high indebtedness or financial stress among urban, poor households in Ecuador and demonstrates its relation with the quality of employment. We argue that informalisation of employment, and in particular job precariousness, have consequences on other dimensions of vulnerability such as high debt servicing and financial stress. The empirical analysis is based on a 2002 sample survey data of men and women workers in urban poor communities of Ecuador. By employing an index of job quality, we investigate and compare the job quality of women and men workers in these households and find gender-based patterns with women working in relatively low quality jobs compared to men. Moreover, there seems to be differentiated levels of debt servicing among women and men that suggests uneven debt burden sharing among household members. By means of regression analyses, the paper demonstrates that low quality jobs tend to lead to higher debt servicing. The results provide a nuanced and illuminating picture of the interconnectedness of employment, financial stress and vulnerability.