Income Distribution Commons^™

The Effect Of Childhood Siblings On Adult Income, Heather Bavido

Research in the Capitol

As evidenced by the decreased US fertility rate, families are having fewer children. As productivity has risen, the opportunity cost of having children has risen; and as wealth has increased the need to have children to provide income in old age has fallen. Research shows that with family income held constant, parents face a tradeoff between how many children they have and the perceived quality of the children. My research explores the relationship between the number of siblings an individual grows up with and adult wages. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, my results show individuals with seven …