Sibling Gender, Inheritance Customs and Educational Attainment: Evidence from Matrilineal and Patrilineal Societies

Arbeitspapier

Using data from 27 sub-Saharan African countries, I identify the causal effect of sibling gender on education and how it varies according to inheritance customs. Boys who inherit their father's property experience no effect of sibling gender, while boys who do not inherit experience a significant negative effect of having a brother. Having a brother has a small negative effect on the education of girls, regardless of inheritance customs. The effect of sibling gender converges after the introduction of laws guaranteeing that children inherit from their parents, suggesting that parents substitute between transferring inheritance and investing in their children's education.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 2022:5

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation ; Education and Research Institutions: General ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
• Subject: sibling gender ; patriliny ; matriliny ; educational attainment

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Collins, Matthew
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics
• (where): Lund
• (when): 2022

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/260344
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET