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The effects of the gender of children on expenditure patterns in rural China: a semiparametric analysis

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  • Xiaodong Gong
  • Arthur van Soest
  • Ping Zhang

Abstract

We analyse expenditure patterns for rural China, focusing on differences between families with boys and girls. The sample includes more than 5000 nuclear families from 19 Chinese provinces. Following the existing literature, we estimate Engel curves for food and for alcohol, a typical adult good. We use a flexible, partially linear specification and allow for endogeneity of total expenditures. The results are similar to those of other studies, not providing much evidence of gender differentials. We then focus on the decision to send a child to school and on the budget share spent on educational goods. Using both parametric and semiparametric estimates, we find evidence that boys are more often sent to school and that expenditures on a boy that goes to school are larger than for a school‐going girl of the same age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Xiaodong Gong & Arthur van Soest & Ping Zhang, 2005. "The effects of the gender of children on expenditure patterns in rural China: a semiparametric analysis," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(4), pages 509-527, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:japmet:v:20:y:2005:i:4:p:509-527
    DOI: 10.1002/jae.780
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    2. Abdul Malik Iddrisu & Michael Danquah & Alfred Barimah & Williams Ohemeng, 2020. "Gender, age cohort, and household investment in child schooling: New evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-9, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Lamichhane, Kamal & Sawada, Yasuyuki, 2013. "Disability and returns to education in a developing country," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 85-94.
    4. J. G. Hirschberg, J. N. Lye & D. J. Slottje, 2008. "Confidence Intervals for Estimates of Elasticities," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 1053, The University of Melbourne.
    5. Kelly Jones, 2014. "Growing Up Together: Cohort Composition and Child Investment," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 229-255, February.
    6. Lutfunnahar Begum & Philip J Grossman & Asad Islam, 2022. "Parental gender bias and investment in children’s health and education: evidence from Bangladesh [Child gender and parental investments in India: Are boys and girls treated differently?]," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(4), pages 1045-1062.
    7. Koohi-Kamali, Feridoon, 2008. "Intrahousehold inequality and child gender bias in Ethiopia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4755, The World Bank.
    8. Geoffrey Lancaster & Pushkar Maitra & Ranjan Ray, 2008. "Household Expenditure Patterns and Gender Bias: Evidence from Selected Indian States," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(2), pages 133-157.
    9. Lutfunnahar Begum & Philip J. Grossman & Asadul Islam, 2014. "Parental Attitude and Investment in Children’s Education and Health in Developing Countries," Monash Economics Working Papers 30-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    10. Xiaodong Gong & Laurie Brown, 2017. "The Impacts of the Presence of Disabled Members on Intra-household Allocation in Older Australian Households," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 50(4), pages 398-411, December.
    11. Ivan Korolev, 2018. "A Consistent Heteroskedasticity Robust LM Type Specification Test for Semiparametric Models," Papers 1810.07620, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2019.
    12. Basu, Bharati, 2021. "Do institutional norms affect behavioral preferences: A view from gender bias in the intra-household expenditure allocation in Iran," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 118-134.
    13. Choi Yun Jeong & Chen Joe & Sawada Yasuyuki, 2015. "Life Insurance and Suicide: Asymmetric Information Revisited," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 1127-1149, July.
    14. Xuan Huo & Huawei Han & Qin Gao, 2023. "Does Welfare Participation Affect Adolescent Educational Aspiration? Evidence from Panel Data in China," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(3), pages 1171-1202, June.
    15. Shaleen Khanal, 2018. "Gender Discrimination in Education Expenditure in Nepal: Evidence from Living Standards Surveys," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 35(1), pages 155-174, March.
    16. Chen Lin & Yuxin Chen & Jeongwen Chiang & Yufei Zhang, 2021. "Do “Little Emperors” Get More Than “Little Empresses”? Boy-Girl Gender Discrimination as Evidenced by Consumption Behavior of Chinese Households," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(6), pages 1123-1146, November.
    17. Joe Chen & Yun Jeong Choi & Yasuyuki Sawada, 2008. "Suicide and Life Insurance," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-558, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.
    18. John Knight & Li Shi & Deng Quheng, 2010. "Son Preference and Household Income in Rural China," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(10), pages 1786-1805.
    19. Hirschberg, J.G. & Lye, J.N. & Slottje, D.J., 2008. "Inferential methods for elasticity estimates," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 147(2), pages 299-315, December.
    20. Eleanor Jawon Choi & Jisoo Hwang, 2020. "Transition of Son Preference: Evidence From South Korea," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 627-652, April.
    21. Abdul Malik Iddrisu & Michael Danquah & Alfred Barimah & Williams Ohemeng, 2020. "Gender, age cohort, and household investment in child schooling: New evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp2020-9, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    22. Lijuan Cao & Jing Zhu & Hua Liu, 2023. "Research performance, academic promotion, and gender disparities: Analysis of data on agricultural economists in Chinese higher education," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(2), pages 307-326, March.
    23. Iddrisu, Abdul Malik & Danquah, Michael & Quartey, Peter & Ohemeng, Williams, 2018. "Gender bias in households’ educational expenditures: Does the stage of schooling matter?," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 10, pages 15-23.
    24. Tian, Xu & Yu, Xiaohua, 2015. "Using semiparametric models to study nutrition improvement and dietary change with different indices: The case of China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 67-81.
    25. Maldonado, Javier, 2019. "Detecting Gender Discrimination in Intrahousehold Resource Allocation," DES - Working Papers. Statistics and Econometrics. WS 28146, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Estadística.

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