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Brothers, sisters, and support to older parents: separate spheres across and within support types?

Author

Listed:
  • Christine Ho

    (Singapore Management University
    London School of Economics)

  • Kathleen McGarry

    (University of California, Los Angeles, and NBER)

Abstract

Adult children, especially sons, are often considered a linchpin of support to older parents in many patriarchal societies. We develop a model of transfers from adult children to older parents as existing in separate spheres depending on the child’s gender and type of transfer. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we find strong evidence of such differentiation. Coresidential support comes almost exclusively from sons as do large transfers, while daughters are more likely to make smaller transfers. Interestingly, crowding-out of financial transfers by siblings occurs primarily within gender: sons give less when they have more brothers but not when they have more sisters, and daughters give less when they have more sisters but not when they have more brothers. This pattern is present for both in-kind and cash transfers, suggesting that support from adult children may not be substitutable between genders, even for relatively fungible currencies.

Suggested Citation

  • Christine Ho & Kathleen McGarry, 2025. "Brothers, sisters, and support to older parents: separate spheres across and within support types?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-38, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:38:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s00148-025-01059-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-025-01059-6
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Old age support; Separate spheres; Gendered public goods; Son preference;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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