EFFECT OF GENDER EQUALITY ON HUMAN CAPITAL ACCUMULATION: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERNAL FAMILY STATUS AND CHILDREN’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN CHINA

Abstract

Although the academic performance of children is directly related to the long-term accumulation of human capital, there is limited empirical evidence on how gender equality affects children’s academic performance. Based on the Third Survey of Chinese Women’s Social Status in 2010, from the perspective of gender equality in the family field, this study examines the influence of maternal family status on children’s academic performance. We find that higher maternal family status can improve children’s academic performance. This conclusion is robust after alternative measures of maternal family status and children’s academic performance, adjusting the analysis sample, controlling for family incomes and instrumental variable estimation. The mechanism analysis reveals that mothers with higher maternal family status increase the spending on education and nutrition, while provide more psychological support for children. The role of the maternal family status is more important for boys and children in non-compulsory education, also in the case where mothers value children’s studies but fathers don’t. This paper sheds light on the impact of gender equality in families on human capital accumulation, which provides an empirical basis for promoting gender equality.