Detecting Mother-Father Differences in Spending on Children: A New Approach Using Willingness-to-Pay Elicitation
American Economic Review: Insights
vol. 5,
no. 4, December 2023
(pp. 445-59)
Abstract
This paper tests whether mothers and fathers differ in their spending on daughters relative to sons by comparing their willingness to pay (WTP) for specific goods for their children. This method, which we apply in Uganda, offers more precision than the standard method of examining expenditure effects of mothers' versus fathers' income. We find that fathers have a lower WTP for their daughters' than their sons' human capital but mothers do not. Altruism plays a role: fathers' but not mothers' WTP for goods that simply bring joy to their daughters is lower than their WTP for such goods for sons.Citation
Dizon-Ross, Rebecca, and Seema Jayachandran. 2023. "Detecting Mother-Father Differences in Spending on Children: A New Approach Using Willingness-to-Pay Elicitation." American Economic Review: Insights, 5 (4): 445-59. DOI: 10.1257/aeri.20220159Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D64 Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
- G51 Household Finance: Household Saving, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
- J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O12 Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development