The Effect of Sibship Size on Educational Attainment in China: Period Variations

• Published in: American sociological review Vol. 73; no. 5; pp. 813 - 834
• Main Authors: Lu, Yao, Treiman, Donald J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA American Sociological Association 01.10.2008; SAGE Publications; Sage Publications
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Children; Children & youth; China; Cognitive Development; Competition; Cultural revolutions; Developing countries; Developing Nations; Economic Development; Economic policy; Economic reform; Education; Education policy; Educational Attainment; Educational Policy; Educational Resources; Enrollments; Equal Education; Equality; Families & family life; Family Size; Family Structure; Foreign Countries; Gender; Government subsidies; Hypotheses; Ideology; Industrialized nations; LDCs; Outcomes of Education; Peoples Republic of China; Policy implementation; Political Issues; Politics; Public Policy; Residents; Rural areas; Rural communities; Siblings; Social Change; Social Influences; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic Influences; Socioeconomics; Sociology; Sociology of education. Educational systems. Lifelong education; Standardized Tests; Studies; Subsidies; Urban areas; Urban population; Womens studies; World History; China; Educational Attainment; Phratry; Equality; Economic Development
• ISSN: 0003-1224; 1939-8271
• DOI: 10.1177/000312240807300506

In industrialized nations, sibship size generally depresses educational attainment: the larger the number of siblings, the lower the educational attainment. This association is much less consistent in developing nations, however. This article examines the effect that the number of siblings has on educational attainment in China, a nation that has experienced sharp vacillations between policies designed to promote equality (between urban and rural residents and between men and women) and policies designed to promote economic development. The implementation of these policies in the educational arena has alternately reduced and increased competition for educational resources and, as we show, has correspondingly reduced and increased the effect of sibship size on educational attainment.