Redesign of the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis Measurement Tool

The Trivers-Willard Hypothesis posits that parents in favorable conditions tend to invest more in male offspring, while those in disadvantaged conditions focus on female offspring under the disadvantaged condition based on the reproductive potential of the next generation. Through a review of previous studies, we find that these series of studies lack a unified measurement to assess parental socioeconomic status and parental investment, which may be the cause of inconsistent results. To solve this problem, our study establishes a cross-culturally applicable measurement framework. By measuring the annual household income, the income distribution ratios and time investment differences between children of different sexes, we aim to validate the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis. Even if there are possible negative results in future studies, our measurement still contributes to enhancing methodological homogeneity in future research.