Child Gender and Parental Investments in India: Are Boys and Girls Treated Differently?
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 6,
no. 1, January 2014
(pp. 157-89)
Abstract
Previous research has not always found that boys and girls are treated differently in rural India. However estimates of the effect of gender on parental investments could be biased if girls end up in larger families due to son-biased stopping rules. Using a novel identification strategy that exploits that gender at conception is random, we document that boys receive more childcare time than girls, they are breastfed longer and they get more vitamin supplementation. Compared to other developing countries, boys have an advantage in height and weight relative to girls. Neither greater needs nor anticipated family size explain the results.Citation
Barcellos, Silvia Helena, Leandro S. Carvalho, and Adriana Lleras-Muney. 2014. "Child Gender and Parental Investments in India: Are Boys and Girls Treated Differently?" American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6 (1): 157-89. DOI: 10.1257/app.6.1.157Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
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