TABLE 9.
ANTICIPATED FAMILY SIZE and ACTUAL FAMILY SIZE. DHS 1992
| # Children | Ever breastfed? |
Vitamin A supplement? |
Vaccination card? |
# months breastfed |
log(# months breastfed) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | |
| Panel A: OLS Estimate of the Effect of First Born Boy on Family Size (N=14, 991; mean # children: 4.56) | ||||||
| First Born Male = 1 | −0.282 [0.038]*** |
|||||
| Panel B: OLS Estimate of the Effect of Family Size on Investments | ||||||
| # Children | 0.001 [0.001]* |
−0.019 [0.001]*** |
−0.032 [0.002]*** |
0.397 [0.044]*** |
0.029 [0.003]*** |
|
| Obs | 32070 | 30911 | 32183 | 31119 | 31119 | |
| Panel C: How much of the effect of male is accounted by anticipated family size? | ||||||
| Panel A * Panel B | 0.000 | 0.005 | 0.009 | −0.112 | −0.008 | |
| % of (male=1) in Panel D | −6% | 38% | 21% | −153% | −63% | |
| Panel D: OLS Estimate of the Effect of Boy Youngest on Investments | ||||||
| Male = 1 | 0.005 [0.004] |
0.014 [0.007]** |
0.043 [0.009]*** |
0.073 [0.095] |
0.013 [0.017] |
|
| Obs | 11578 | 11226 | 11586 | 11043 | 11043 | |
| Panel E: Estimate of the Effect of Boy Youngest on Investments Controling for Proxies of Anticipated Family Size | ||||||
| Male = 1 | 0.001 [0.005] |
0.009 [0.007] |
0.045 [0.010]*** |
0.111 [0.100] |
0.019 [0.018] |
|
| Mom Pregnant = 1 | 0.024 [0.013]* |
0.108 [0.029]*** |
0.11 [0.035]*** |
3.392 [0.251]*** |
0.569 [0.035]*** |
|
| Mom/Dad Sterilized = 1 | 0.007 [0.006] |
0.015 [0.024] |
−0.036 [0.029] |
−0.763 [0.223]*** |
−0.138 [0.035]*** |
|
| Mom More Kids = 1 | 0.016 [0.006]*** |
0.032 [0.008]*** |
0.064 [0.011]*** |
0.314 [0.109]*** |
0.069 [0.020]*** |
|
| Ideal Number of Children | 0.002 [0.002] |
−0.021 [0.003]*** |
−0.062 [0.005]*** |
0.128 [0.048]*** |
0.023 [0.008]*** |
|
| Use Contraceptive = 1 | 0.045 [0.005]*** |
0.102 [0.019]*** |
0.201 [0.022]*** |
2.115 [0.171]*** |
0.399 [0.026]*** |
|
| Obs | 10318 | 9998 | 10323 | 9851 | 9851 | |
Notes: Robust standard errors [in brackets]. Panels A-D report regression results with no other controls. In Panel A we regress family size on the gender of the first-born child (coefficient −0.282)--the sample is restricted to mothers ages 38 and above. Results in Panels B and D correspond to a separate linear regression of the dependent variable listed in the column on the independent variables listed in the rows. Panel B presents OLS estimates of the effect of actual family size on investments. Panel C corresponds to the product of Panels A and B, our estimate for the effect of child gender on investments working through family size. In Panel D we reproduce some of the mains results of the boy-girl differences in investments. Panel E shows the same regressions as Panel D but it includes proxies for anticipated family size (namely dummy for being pregnant, dummy for use of some contraceptive method, dummy for sterilization, dummy for whether mother reported wanting more children and the reported ideal number of children) are included as controls. The sample in panels B and D are restricted to live children. Panel D further restricts the sample to youngest 0–15 months old. Survey weights are used for estimation.
p<0.01,
p<0.05,
p<0.1