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Parental Separation and Children's Educational Attainment: A Siblings Analysis on Swedish Register Data

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  • ANDERS BJÖRKLUND
  • MARIANNE SUNDSTRÖM

Abstract

This paper analyses whether the commonly found negative relationship between parental separation in childhood and educational outcomes is causal or due mainly to selection. We use data on about 100,000 Swedish full biological siblings, born in 1948–63, and perform cross‐section and sibling‐difference estimations. Outcomes are measured as educational attainment in 1996. Our cross‐section analysis shows the expected negative and significant relationship, while the relationship is not significant, though precisely estimated, in the sibling‐difference analysis. This finding was robust to the sensitivity tests performed and is consistent with selection, rather than causation, being the explanation for the negative relationship.

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  • Anders Björklund & Marianne Sundström, 2006. "Parental Separation and Children's Educational Attainment: A Siblings Analysis on Swedish Register Data," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 73(292), pages 605-624, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:econom:v:73:y:2006:i:292:p:605-624
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2006.00529.x
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    7. Donna K. Ginther & Robert A. Pollak, 2000. "Does family structure affect children's educational outcomes?," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2000-13, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sundström, Marianne, 2013. "Growing up in a blended family or a stepfamily: What is the impact on education?," Working Paper Series 2/2013, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    2. Hélène Le Forner, 2023. "Parents' Separation: What is the Effect on Parents' and Children's Time Investments?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(4), pages 718-754, August.
    3. Chiara Pronzato & Arnstein Aassve, 2019. "Parental breakup and children’s development: the role of time and of post-separation conditions," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 67-87, March.
    4. Ian Walker & Yu Zhu, 2008. "Child Support and Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey," Studies in Economics 0811, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    5. Frimmel, Wolfgang & Halla, Martin & Winter-Ebmer, Rudolf, 2024. "How does parental divorce affect children’s long-term outcomes?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    6. Hertegård, Edvin, 2024. "Divorce Law Reform, Family Stability, and Children’s Long-Term Outcomes," SOFI Working Papers in Labour Economics 1/2025, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    7. Boll, Christina & Hoffmann, Malte, 2015. "It's not all about parents' education, it also matters what they do: Parents' employment and children's school success in Germany," HWWI Research Papers 162, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    8. Holm, Mathilde Lund & Fallesen, Peter & Heinesen, Eskil, 2023. "The effects of parental union dissolution on children’s test scores," SocArXiv p2qgk, Center for Open Science.
    9. Nekby, Lena & Özcan, Gülay, 2007. "Do Domestic Educations Even Out the Playing Field? Ethnic Labor Market Gaps in Sweden," SULCIS Working Papers 2007:3, Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS.
    10. Yen-Chien Chen & Elliott Fan & Jin-Tan Liu, 2019. "Understanding the Mechanisms of Parental Divorce Effects on Child’s Higher Education," NBER Working Papers 25886, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Hélène Le Forner, 2019. "Age At Parents' Separation And Children Achievement: Evidence From France Using A Sibling Approach," AMSE Working Papers 1928, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    12. Letizia Mencarini & Silvia Pasqua & Agnese Romiti, 2014. "Children’s time use and family structure in Italy," CHILD Working Papers Series 27, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    13. Björklund, Anders, 2006. "Family Background and Outcomes Later in Life: A (Partial and Personal) Survey of Recent Research Using Swedish Register Data," Working Paper Series 4/2007, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    14. Chiara Pronzato & Arnstein Aassve, 2013. "Marital breakup and children's behavioural responses," CHILD Working Papers Series 12, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    15. Letizia Mencarini & Silvia Pasqua & Agnese Romiti, 2019. "Single-mother families and the gender gap in children’s time investment and non-cognitive skills," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 149-176, March.
    16. Björklund, Anders & Lindahl, Lena & Lindquist, Matthew J., 2008. "What More Than Parental Income? An Exploration of What Swedish Siblings Get from Their Parents," IZA Discussion Papers 3735, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Ori Zax, 2015. "Human Capital And The Probability Of Divorce," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(S1), pages 111-134, December.
    18. Hertegård, Edvin, 2024. "Divorce law reform, family stability, and children's long-term outcomes," Working Paper Series 2024:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    19. Helmut Rainer & Timo Hener & Thomas Siedler & Anita Fichtl & Anita Dietrich, 2013. "Politische Sozialisation im Wandel? Zusammenhang von Familienstruktur und bürgerschaftlichem Engagement," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 66(17), pages 30-38, September.
    20. Frauke H. Peter & C. Katharina Spiess, 2011. "The Bigger the Children, the Bigger the Worries: Are Preschoolers and Adolescents Affected Differently by Family Instability with Regard to Non-cognitive Skills?," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 367, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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