Lucky to have a sister: The effects of unmarried sister on brother outcomes in late imperial China

Feng Ding, Limin Du and Jinchuan Shi

China Economic Review, 2020, vol. 64, issue C

Abstract: This paper addresses the family free-rider problem by investigating the effects of unmarried sisters on brothers' outcomes based on historical population register data from the China Multi-Generational Panel Dataset-Liaoning (CMGPD-LN). The results show that the presence of an unmarried sister increases the probability of her brother to have another birth / obtain an official student title. An unmarried sister represents a family public good provider since she is a temporary member, and a self-interested brother has economic motivations to compete for and free ride on his sister's unpaid housework. This paper provides an economic explanation rooted in an individual motivation that may help us to further understand the impacts of family structure.

Keywords: Unmarried sister; Brother; Fertility outcome; Free-rider problem; Co-residential family (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H40 J13 N35 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chieco:v:64:y:2020:i:c:s1043951x20301413

DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2020.101544

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