Stephanie Hao will be presenting in person/via Zoom.
Abstract
Using a newly compiled dataset spanning more than one hundred years, I document a shift in the relationship between birth order and educational attainment in the U.S. over time. I find that, in the late 19th century, older children are less likely to be in school, and complete fewer years of schooling, than their younger siblings. However, by the late 20th century, older siblings receive more years of education. I propose that declining child labor in the U.S. over the 20th century may explain part of this trend and why different birth-order effects are observed in high- and low-income countries.