Changing Educational Effects of Sibship Sex Composition in Taiwan

In this study, we examine the educational effects of sibship sex composition using data from the 2002 and 2007 waves of the Taiwan Social Change Survey (N=11,608). The results show that men with older siblings, especially older sisters, have higher educational attainment, while women with younger siblings have lower educational attainment. Moreover, the positive effect of having an additional older sibling on educational attainment is only present among older cohorts and larger families, but not younger cohorts or smaller families. These results imply that parental son preference in educational investment among Taiwanese parents will likely disappear once social norms no longer support son preference, especially in the current low fertility context. Hence, we anticipate that the gender gap in educational attainment will continue to diminish.