Child gender and parental investments in India: Are boys and girls treated differently?

Type Journal Article - Working Paper
Title Child gender and parental investments in India: Are boys and girls treated differently?
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
URL http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3933178/
Abstract
Abstract: There is considerable debate in the literature as to whether boys and girls are treated differently in India. But son-biased stopping rules imply that previous estimates are likely to be biased. We propose a novel identification strategy to properly identify the effects of child gender on parental investments. Using data from a time use survey we document gender differences in childcare time which have not been studied before in developing countries. We find that boys receive on average 10% more time than girls. They are also more likely to be breastfed for longer, given vaccinations and vitamin supplementation.

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