Empirically probing the quantity–quality model

Abstract

This paper estimates the causal effects of family size on girls' education in Mexico, exploiting prenatal son preference as a source of random variation in the propensity to have more children within an Instrumental Variables framework. It finds no evidence of family size having an adverse effect on education. The paper then weakens the identification assumption and allows for the possibility that the instrument is invalid. It finds that the effects of family size on girls' schooling remain extremely modest at most. Families that are relatively large compensate for reduced per child resources by increasing maternal labour supply.

The quantity–quality fertility–education trade-off

“…A limitation that is shared by all three studies discussed here is that they do not control for children's physical endowments [1], [7], [8]. Since singletons are generally heavier than their twin siblings at birth, parents might invest more in their nontwin children if investments in their children are positively correlated with children's physical endowments.…”

“…Haoming Liu | The quantity-quality fertility-education trade-off Besides twin births, the gender composition of earlier-born children can also affect the number of children [8]. Many parents want to have at least one son, and they tend to have another child if their earlier-born children are all girls.…”

“…Many parents want to have at least one son, and they tend to have another child if their earlier-born children are all girls. For girls aged 12-17 from indigent rural households in Mexico, having an additional sibling, whether because of the gender composition of earlier-born children or the birth of twins, has no significant impact on their primary school completion or school enrollment [8]. One possible explanation for the different outcomes in Brazil and Mexico is that in Mexico basic education is compulsory through a defined education level (lower secondary school, or roughly to age 17), while in Brazil it is compulsory based on age (to age 14, or roughly through the second stage of primary school).…”

Family Size, Sibling Rivalry and Migration: Evidence from Mexico

“…Early results tended to predominantly show that children from larger families have worse outcomes, especially in terms of human capital investment and earnings (Rosenzweig and Wolpin 1980, Hanushek 1992, Parish and Willis 1993. However, after controlling for the endogeneity of fertility, in more recent papers family size does not turn out to adversely affect child outcomes (see Black et al 2005, Angrist et al 2010, Fitzsimons and Malde 2014.…”

“…The ENADID provides information on other potential instruments for fertility that have been used in the literature, namely twin births (e.g., Rosenzweig and Wolpin 1980, Angrist and Evans 1998, Càceres-Delpiano 2006 and sibling-sex composition (e.g., Evans 1998, Fitzsimons andMalde 2014). Those instruments, however, are not suitable ei- 25 Older women belong to earlier birth cohorts, whose fertility is likely to be higher.…”