Suffering From Attention

Sammanfattning

I examine a favourite child's effect on educational attainment and mental and physical health and well-being. In the favourite child effect, based on parental preferences in the sex composition of children using a proxy for parental investment, I can assess how parents distinguish inputs based on the sex of their children. Identification utilising data from three longitudinal studies in the United Kingdom and limiting the data to a maximum of three siblings per sibship. I investigate the random assignment of sex in the presence of a twin pair, which allows for causal inference. I am able to analyse the causal effect of being the lone sex child on quality outcomes since parents have no control over the sexes and twin status of their children. The sibling of the favourite child is more likely to develop depression during adolescence than the sibling of a same-sex sibship. I find no indication of a difference between sibships of two sexes and single-sexed sibships in terms of educational attainment and physical health.}