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Son Preferences and Education Inequalities in India

Author

Listed:
  • Congdon Fors, Heather

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

  • Lindskog, Annika

    (Department of Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, Göteborg University)

Abstract

We investigate the impact of son preferences in India on gender inequalities in education. We distinguish the impact of preferential treatment of boys from the impact of gender-biased fertility strategies (gender-specific fertility stopping rules and sex-selective abortions). Results show strong impacts of gender-biased fertility strategies on education differences between girls and boys. Preferential treatment of boys has a more limited impact on gender differences. Further, results suggest that gender-biased fertility strategies create gender inequalities in education both because girls and boys end up in systematically different families and because of gender-inequalities in pecuniary investment within families. The extra advantage of the eldest son within the family is small.

Suggested Citation

  • Congdon Fors, Heather & Lindskog, Annika, 2019. "Son Preferences and Education Inequalities in India," Working Papers in Economics 781, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0781
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/62249
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Son preferences; Gender; Sex-selection; Fertility-stopping rules; Human Capital; Education; Birth order;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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