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Children and Their Parents' Labor Supply: Evidence from Exogenous Variation in Family Size

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  • Angrist, Joshua D
  • Evans, William N

Abstract

Research on the labor-supply consequences of childbearing is complicated by the endogeneity of fertility. This study uses parental preferences for a mixed sibling-sex composition to construct instrumental variables (IV) estimates of the effect of childbearing on labor supply. IV estimates for women are significant but smaller than ordinary least-squares estimates. The IV are also smaller for more educated women and show no impact of family size on husbands' labor supply. A comparison of estimates using sibling-sex composition and twins instruments implies that the impact of a third child disappears when the child reaches age thirteen. Copyright 1998 by American Economic Association.

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  • Angrist, Joshua D & Evans, William N, 1998. "Children and Their Parents' Labor Supply: Evidence from Exogenous Variation in Family Size," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(3), pages 450-477, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:88:y:1998:i:3:p:450-77
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor

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    This item is featured on the following reading lists, Wikipedia, or ReplicationWiki pages:
    1. Children and Their Parents' Labor Supply: Evidence from Exogenous Variation in Family Size (AER 1998) in ReplicationWiki
    2. Labor Economics (ECON 431-531)

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