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Abstract
In Maasai culture, responsibilities and labour are divided between the genders. Men are in charge
of the herd and thus control the main income source. Women take care of the family and are
responsible for milking. Milk sales provide the women’s main income source. In this paper, using
olmarei- (= household) and enkaji- (= sub-household) data from the milk catchment area of a
collection centre in Ngerengere, Tanzania, we assess the potential impact of milk sales on enkaji
income. We estimate the effect by employing propensity score-matching procedures. Our findings
suggest that milk sellers earn significantly higher average income per capita than non-sellers. This
appears to be especially true for enkajijik selling milk to other buyers rather than to the collection
centre. Other buyers reach more remote areas, usually offer higher prices, but only purchase
limited amounts of milk. The collection centre, on the other hand, is a guaranteed market with large
capacity.