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Tiger moms: mother’s education and investments in children’s human capital in China

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  • Yuanyuan Chen

    (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, School of Economics
    Key Laboratory of Mathematical Economics (SUFE), Ministry of Education
    Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Dishui Lake Advanced Finance Institute)

  • Jiaxin Wang

    (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, School of Economics)

  • Meng Yuan

    (Xiangtan University, Business School)

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of China’s college enrollment expansion since 1999 on parental investments in children’s human capital. Utilizing a measure of expansion exposure that exploits exogenous variation in college enrollment opportunities across time and provinces, we find that the expansion has increased education levels for both mothers and fathers. Furthermore, higher exposure to the expansion for mothers significantly increased educational investments in children, while no such effect was found for fathers. Mechanism analysis shows that the results can be largely explained by the rise of mothers’ income and relative education level, which gave rise to the empowerment of mothers and explains the discrepant effects between mothers and fathers. Our study reveals a new channel through which the college enrollment expansion exerts an intergenerational influence.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanyuan Chen & Jiaxin Wang & Meng Yuan, 2025. "Tiger moms: mother’s education and investments in children’s human capital in China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 1-33, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:38:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-025-01140-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-025-01140-0
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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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