{"title":"The Role of Child's Gender in Fertility and Family Structure: Evidence across Countries and Centuries","authors":"H. Noghanibehambari","doi":"10.1353/prv.2023.0001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:Previous studies have documented that a child's gender affects future fertility and family structure across several parts of the world. This paper use a comprehensive sets of data sources to examine its heterogeneity across countries and cohorts. Using individual-level data of 516 sample-years from 98 countries that span more than 300 years, I find that, on average, families increase their number of children if their first-born child is a girl. However, this average effect contains substantial heterogeneity. A cohort analysis using data of more developed countries suggests that these effects are concentrated in periods of fertility declines, specifically late 19th century. The effects are also primarily confined to Asia, specifically southeast Asia and Middle-East. Moreover, the fertility effects are significantly stronger among low educated mothers and those residing in countries with lower gender equal norms. Some policy implications are discussed.","PeriodicalId":43131,"journal":{"name":"Population Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Population Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/prv.2023.0001","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"DEMOGRAPHY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Abstract:Previous studies have documented that a child's gender affects future fertility and family structure across several parts of the world. This paper use a comprehensive sets of data sources to examine its heterogeneity across countries and cohorts. Using individual-level data of 516 sample-years from 98 countries that span more than 300 years, I find that, on average, families increase their number of children if their first-born child is a girl. However, this average effect contains substantial heterogeneity. A cohort analysis using data of more developed countries suggests that these effects are concentrated in periods of fertility declines, specifically late 19th century. The effects are also primarily confined to Asia, specifically southeast Asia and Middle-East. Moreover, the fertility effects are significantly stronger among low educated mothers and those residing in countries with lower gender equal norms. Some policy implications are discussed.
期刊介绍:
Population Review publishes scholarly research that covers a broad range of social science disciplines, including demography, sociology, social anthropology, socioenvironmental science, communication, and political science. The journal emphasizes empirical research and strives to advance knowledge on the interrelationships between demography and sociology. The editor welcomes submissions that combine theory with solid empirical research. Articles that are of general interest to population specialists are also desired. International in scope, the journal’s focus is not limited by geography. Submissions are encouraged from scholars in both the developing and developed world. Population Review publishes original articles and book reviews. Content is published online immediately after acceptance.