RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Big Sisters
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0623-12969R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.0623-12969R1
A1 Jakiela, Pamela
A1 Ozier, Owen
A1 Fernald, Lia C. H.
A1 Knauer, Heather A.
YR 2025
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/08/01/jhr.0623-12969R1.abstract
AB We model household investments in young children when parents and older siblings share caregiving responsibilities and investments by older siblings contribute to young children’s human capital accumulation. To test the predictions of our model, we estimate the impact of having an older sister (as opposed to an older brother) on early childhood development in a sample of rural Kenyan households with otherwise similar family structures. Having an older sister rather than an older brother improves younger siblings’ vocabulary and fine motor skills by more than 0.1 standard deviations.