Modernisation and Son Preference

Gaps in welfare attainment between boys and girls in China have attractedinternational attention. In this paper demand analysis is used to try and uncoverthe factors which may be driving the emergence of these gender gaps.Drawing on household expenditure data from a poor (Sichuan) and rich (Jiangsu)Chinese province we are able to test for different types of gender bias in intrahouseholdallocation. Spending on health is found to be biased against younggirls in the poor but not in the rich province, whereas there is a bias in educationspending against older girls in both provinces. These biases in householdspending were found to correspond to gender biases in mortality and enrolmentoutcomes as revealed in census data for the same year. Split sample analysisreveals that poorer, less diversified households exhibit stronger biases againstgirls. Taken together, the results suggest that son preference in rural Chinais not driven solely by cultural factors pointing to a potential role for publicpolicy.[...]