Working Paper: NBER ID: w22267
Authors: David Autor; David Figlio; Krzysztof Karbownik; Jeffrey Roth; Melanie Wasserman
Abstract: Using birth certificates matched to schooling records for Florida children born 1992–2002, we assess whether family disadvantage disproportionately impedes the pre-market development of boys. We find that, relative to their sisters, boys born to disadvantaged families have higher rates of disciplinary problems, lower achievement scores, and fewer high-school completions. Evidence supports that this is a causal effect of the post-natal environment; family disadvantage is unrelated to the gender gap in neonatal health. We conclude that the gender gap among black children is larger than among white children in substantial part because black children are raised in more disadvantaged families.
Keywords: Family Disadvantage; Gender Gap; Educational Outcomes; Behavioral Outcomes
JEL Codes: I24; J12; J13; J16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| family disadvantage (J12) | boys' disciplinary problems (Y80) |
| family disadvantage (J12) | boys' achievement scores (I24) |
| family disadvantage (J12) | boys' high school completion rates (I21) |
| family disadvantage (J12) | gender gap in educational attainment (I24) |
| family disadvantage (J12) | observed gender gaps in behavioral and academic outcomes (I24) |
| disadvantaged families (I24) | higher prevalence of family disadvantage in black families (J12) |
| family environment (J12) | differential impact on boys' outcomes (I24) |
| neighborhood and school quality (I24) | observed gender gap (J16) |