How Parenting Styles Shape Children’s Lifetime Outcomes

Thomas Dohmen (), Bart Golsteyn (), Hans Grönqvist (), Edvin Hertegård () and Gerard Pfann ()
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Thomas Dohmen: University of Bonn and Maastricht University, Postal: Grevgatan 34, Box 55665
Bart Golsteyn: Maastricht University, Postal: Grevgatan 34, Box 55665
Hans Grönqvist: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Postal: Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden, https://www.ifn.se/en/researchers/ifn-researcher/hans-gronqvist/
Edvin Hertegård: SOFI, Stockholm University, Postal: Grevgatan 34, Box 55665
Gerard Pfann: Maastricht University and University of Amsterdam, Postal: Grevgatan 34, Box 55665

No 1551, Working Paper Series from Research Institute of Industrial Economics

Abstract: This study examines how parenting styles predict children’s lifetime outcomes. Using a Swedish dataset which combines rich survey information on parenting styles with administrative records tracking children over five decades, we find that authoritarian parenting is negatively associated with children’s long-term success, especially regarding their educational attainment. The results for other parenting styles are more mixed. Authoritarian parenting remains a robust predictor of adverse outcomes even when accounting for ability and family background. We identify children’s knowledge accumulation and parental educational expectations as key mechanisms explaining these results.

Keywords: Child Rearing; Human Capital; Skill Formation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 J13 J24 R20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2026-01-21
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1551

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