Daughters, Education, and Family Budgets Taiwan Experiences

TLDR

Growth in labor‑force education drives economic growth, but sex‑based distribution fuels gender inequality, and Taiwan’s rapid transition provides a unique context to test these dynamics. The study examines how parents allocate educational resources between sons and daughters and the resulting impact on women's life chances. The authors use retrospective data on Taiwanese individuals who came of age from the 1940s onward to analyze life‑cycle and family behavior. Broadly, while contra.

Abstract

Growth in the education of the labor force is one of the most important determinants of economic growth, and the distribution by sex is a key determinant of gender inequality. In this paper, we examine how parents choose to invest in sons' versus daughters' education and the consequences of these choices for women's life chances. We explore this issue with retrospective data on the life cycle and family behavior of Taiwanese individuals who came of age from the 1940s onward. Since the lives of these cohorts encompass one of the most rapid economic and demographic transitions in history, evidence from their experience is of particular value in sorting out alternative hypotheses. Broadly, while contra