The miseries of sex imbalance: Evidence using subjective well-being data

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Li, Wenchao
• 署名单位: Tongji University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102634
• 发表日期: 2021
• 关键词: subjective well-being; Sex imbalance; life satisfaction; happiness

摘要

We examine whether parents who have preference for sons and may practice gender selections, are adequately incorporating the implications of their aggregate preference and behavior. Using a nationally representative random sample of Chinese households, we show that facing high sex ratios (more men than women), parents with a son, relative to parents with a daughter, report lower evaluative, emotional, and eudaimonic well-being. We examine the role of reduced consumption, intensified status comparison, and increased income aspiration-which are motivated by a desire to help their son improve marriage prospects-as underlying mechanisms. The findings provide new perspectives on the welfare cost of sex imbalance.