Birth Order and Transition into Adulthood in Madagascar

Francesca Marchetta () and Claire Ricard ()
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Francesca Marchetta: CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne
Claire Ricard: CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne, IDinsight

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Abstract: Using panel data from Madagascar, we study how birth order influences the transition into adulthood. We find that earlier borns drop school at a younger age, attain less schooling, and thus have lower cognitive skills than later borns. They also start working out of the family firm earlier and girls marry younger. The precocious transition of the firstborn is likely to finance younger siblings' education. These mechanisms are stronger in rural areas, where the liquidity constraints are stronger. Results are robust to different specifications commonly used in the birth order literature and are not sensitive to the presence of fostered children in the household.

Keywords: Birth order; Educational attainment; Age at marriage; Transition into adulthood; Liquidity constraint; Madagascar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-02-10
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Published in Journal of Human Capital, 2025, 19 (1), ⟨10.1086/733485⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04848991

DOI: 10.1086/733485

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