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Female Babies and Risk-Aversion

Author

Listed:
  • Pogrebna, Ganna

    (University of Warwick)

  • Oswald, Andrew J.

    (University of Warwick)

  • Haig, David

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

Being told the sex of your unborn child is a major exogenous 'shock'. In the first study of its kind, we collect before-and-after data from hospital wards. We test for the causal effects of learning child gender upon people's degree of risk-aversion. Using a standard Holt-Laury criterion, the parents of daughters, whether unborn or recently born, are shown to be almost twice as risk-averse as parents of sons. The study demonstrates this in longitudinal ('switching') data and cross-sectional data. The study finds it for fathers and mothers, babies in the womb and recently born children, and for a West European nation and an East European nation.

Suggested Citation

  • Pogrebna, Ganna & Oswald, Andrew J. & Haig, David, 2017. "Female Babies and Risk-Aversion," IZA Discussion Papers 10717, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10717
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trivers-Willard hypothesis; child gender; daughters; risk attitudes; pregnancy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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