Abstract
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 89-104 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Development Economics |
| Volume | 125 |
| Early online date | 26 Nov 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 Mar 2017 |
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Keywords
- dowry
- fertility
- India
- son preferences
- pecuniary costs
- dowries
- gender biases
- economic costs
Cite this
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Daughters, dowries, deliveries : the effect of marital payments on fertility choices in India. / Alfano, Marco.
In: Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 125, 31.03.2017, p. 89-104.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Daughters, dowries, deliveries
T2 - Journal of Development Economics
AU - Alfano, Marco
PY - 2017/3/31
Y1 - 2017/3/31
N2 - This paper investigates the effect of the differential pecuniary costs of sons and daughters on fertility decisions. The focus is on dowries in India, which increase the economic returns to sons and decrease the returns to daughters. The paper exploits an exogenous shift in the cost of girls relative to boys arising from a revision in anti-dowry law, which is shown to have decreased dowry transfers markedly. The reform is found to have attenuated the widely documented positive association between daughters and their parents’ fertility. The effect is particularly pronounced for more autonomous women and for individuals living in areas characterised by strong preferences for sons
AB - This paper investigates the effect of the differential pecuniary costs of sons and daughters on fertility decisions. The focus is on dowries in India, which increase the economic returns to sons and decrease the returns to daughters. The paper exploits an exogenous shift in the cost of girls relative to boys arising from a revision in anti-dowry law, which is shown to have decreased dowry transfers markedly. The reform is found to have attenuated the widely documented positive association between daughters and their parents’ fertility. The effect is particularly pronounced for more autonomous women and for individuals living in areas characterised by strong preferences for sons
KW - dowry
KW - fertility
KW - India
KW - son preferences
KW - pecuniary costs
KW - dowries
KW - gender biases
KW - economic costs
UR - http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03043878
U2 - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.11.004
DO - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.11.004
M3 - Article
VL - 125
SP - 89
EP - 104
JO - Journal of Development Economics
JF - Journal of Development Economics
SN - 0304-3878
ER -