Gender and Ethnicity in Fragile States: The Case of Post-Conflict Kosovo

The chapter examines the comparative economic well-being of female-and male-headed households among Serbs and Albanians in post-conflict Kosovo. Evidence from the living standards measurement study (LSMS) household survey, 2001, shows that Serb households, both those headed by women and men, are worse off than Albanians households. We find that female-headed households do not generally suffer more than male-headed households, but there is substantial variation among ethnic groups. While Albanian femaleheaded households are marginally better-off than Albanian male-headed households, Serb female-headed households have the lowest standard of living.