ABSTRACT
Quantitative and qualitative research is demonstrating that rather than being in conflict, broad measures of life quality like subjective wellbeing, language maintenance and cultural participation support, rather than conflict with, the narrower objective measures. Recent research also demonstrates that the relationship between child labour and schooling outcomes is complex and that these activities are not always mutually exclusive. This is particularly the case for Indigenous peoples for whom objective schooling measures can act as a buffer to institutions that have historically been quite alienating. The aim of this chapter is to use the Mexican Family Life Survey to explore the relationship between child labour, participation in cultural activities and schooling outcomes for Indigenous children in Mexico, one of the largest countries in Latin America, especially in terms of the size of the Indigenous population. Our insights on the relationship between child labour, cultural activities and schooling outcomes are detailed in terms of geography, child age group, Indigenous status and incorporate objective and subjective schooling measures.
