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Human capital, kinship, and gender inequality

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  • Anu Rammohan
  • Peter E. Robertson

Abstract

We develop a household utility maximization model to explain gender disparities in education in traditional societies, based on anthropological evidence on the relationship between kinship and altruism. In this model, the asymmetry between males and females with respect to childbearing implies that parents face asymmetric monitoring costs with respect to the paternity of their grandchildren. Thus, with respect to co-residence decisions, households choose to have their male child and his bride co-reside in the male's natal family, and the female child and her husband co-reside with her husband's natal family (patrilocal exogamy). Because of this households also choose to invest less in a female child's education relative her male sibling. Copyright 2012 Oxford University Press 2011 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Anu Rammohan & Peter E. Robertson, 2012. "Human capital, kinship, and gender inequality," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 64(3), pages 417-438, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:64:y:2012:i:3:p:417-438
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/oep/gpr036
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Mwale & Dieter von Fintel & Anja Smith, 2022. "School drop out and farm input subsidies: gender and kinship heterogeneity in Malawi," Working Papers 01/2022, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    2. Cheti Nicoletti & Birgitta Rabe, 2019. "Sibling spillover effects in school achievement," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 482-501, June.
    3. Gupta, Tanu & Negi, Digvijay, 2021. "Daughter Vs. Daughter-in-Law: Kinship Roles and Women’s Time Use in India," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315021, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Katrine Løken & Kjell Lommerud & Shelly Lundberg, 2013. "Your Place or Mine? On the Residence Choice of Young Couples in Norway," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(1), pages 285-310, February.

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