this observation does not hold true for the entire region however since in brazil panama and peru the odds ratio associated with geographical area is appreciably higher than one even when educational traits are included the variables that most increase a household s probability of being poor are in order of magnitude unemployment of the head of household lack of electricity or belonging to an ethnic group based on the average of the parameters estimated for those countries in which they are significant a household with an unemployed head is almost three times as likely to be poor as a household whose head is employed