Do Daughters Change Their Fathers? Evidence from the first-daughter effect in Japan

Daina Chiba and Yoshikuni Ono

Discussion papers from Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)

Abstract: Research in advanced democracies documents the “first-daughter effect,†whereby fathers of firstborn daughters express more egalitarian views on gender roles. However, evidence from non-Western contexts remains scarce and inconclusive. This study examines whether the first-daughter effect holds in Japan, a country characterized by stable democratic institutions but enduring gender inequality. Using nationally representative survey data from 2000 to 2018 and quasi-random assignment of first child sex, we demonstrate that Japanese fathers with firstborn daughters exhibit significantly more gender-egalitarian attitudes. They also express greater support for gender equality policy reforms. These effects are confined to gender-related domains and do not extend to broader political ideology. Raising daughters can reshape core political attitudes, even within culturally conservative settings.

Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2025-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen and nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eti:dpaper:25104

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