Does sibling gender composition affect the cognitive ability of teenage girls? Evidence from rural China

Abstract This study examines whether the cognitive ability of girls in China is impaired by having brothers. It explores the mechanisms through which having brothers affects the cognitive development of sisters and the reasons behind these impacts. Results using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) leveraging the one-child policy and policies prohibiting gender selection to minimize the endogeneity of sibling size and sibling gender, suggest that: (1) having brothers is associated with lower cognitive ability of teenage girls, while no significant association is observed for boys; (2) parental expectations and the expectations of girls for themselves regarding education, are important mechanisms behind these associations; and (3) son preference is mainly attributed to potential parental needs for old-age support rather than ancestral worship inherent within the traditions of Confucian culture. These findings highlight the importance of changing traditional gender attitudes by improving the pension system and certain infrastructure, and by further guaranteeing equal rights for women in the labor market.