Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Discussion Paper Series in Economics,
Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics

No 24/2019: Having a Daughter Reduces Male Violence Against a Partner

Vincent Somville ()
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Vincent Somville: Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, Postal: NHH, Department of Economics, Helleveien 30, N-5045 Bergen, Norway

Abstract: In a global sample of around 310,000 couples, men whose firstborn child is a girl (instead of a boy) are 10 percent less likely to strangle their partner each year. The probability that they kick, punch, or slap her also decreases by about 4 percent. These are causal effects under the assumption that the sex of the firstborn child is exogenous. Intimate partner violence has enormous costs, but is not yet fully understood. This paper reveals the importance of having daughters in regard to curbing male violence. It also contributes to the burgeoning literature on how children influence their parents.

Keywords: Fairness; inequality; violence

JEL-codes: J12; J13; J16; O12

26 pages, December 28, 2019

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