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Women, Children and Patience: Experimental Evidence from Indian Villages

Author

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  • Bauer, Michal

    (Charles University, Prague)

  • Chytilová, Julie

    (Charles University, Prague)

Abstract
In this paper we study the link between women's responsibility for children and their preferences. We use a large random sample of individuals living in rural India, incentive compatible measures of patience and risk aversion, and detailed survey data. We find more patient choices among women who have a higher number of children. The age of children matters: The link with patience is specific for children below 18 years old, and the highest level of patience is associated with having three children. We do not observe this link among men. Taken together, we find significant gender differences in patience that are predicted by a higher number of children. The results are robust to controlling for age, education, income constraints, and individual and location characteristics. These findings suggest an important context when the spending preferences of spouses diverge, and support the view that empowering women in developing countries should lead to more future-oriented choices of households.

Suggested Citation

  • Bauer, Michal & Chytilová, Julie, 2009. "Women, Children and Patience: Experimental Evidence from Indian Villages," IZA Discussion Papers 4241, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4241
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    8. Martinho, Vítor João Pereira Domingues, 2012. "Effects on women empowerment of awareness raising," EconStor Preprints 67517, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Cao, Wen-Rui & Huang, Qiu-Ru & Zhang, Nan & Liang, Hui-Juan & Xian, Ben-Song & Gan, Xiao-Fang & Xu, Dong Roman & Lai, Ying-Si, 2022. "Mapping the travel modes and acceptable travel time to primary healthcare institutions: A case study in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    10. Daniel Horn & Hubert Kiss Janos, 2020. "Do individuals with children value the future more?," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2010, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    11. Matteo Migheli & Flavia Coda Moscarola, 2017. "Gender Differences in Financial Education: Evidence from Primary School," De Economist, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 321-347, September.
    12. Burro, Giovanni & McDonald, Rebecca & Read, Daniel & Taj, Umar, 2022. "Patience decreases with age for the poor but not for the rich: an international comparison," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 596-621.
    13. Kunt Šimunović, Pınar, 2024. "Education increases patience: Evidence from a change in a compulsory schooling law," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    14. Sutirtha Bandyopadhyay & Pranabes Dutta & Naveen Hari & Bipasha Maity, 2023. "Female Legislators and Forest Conservation in India," Working Papers 104, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    15. Karel Janda & Tran Van Quang & Pavel Zetek, 2015. "Faktory ovlivňující zapojení žen v mikrofinancích [The Factors Influencing the Participation of Women in Microfinance]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(3), pages 363-381.
    16. Kumar, Pradeep & Kant, Shashi, 2019. "Endogenous time preferences of forest goods and community-based forest management," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 205-214.
    17. Sheremenko, Ganna & Magnan, Nicholas, 2015. "Gender-specific Risk Preferences and Fertilizer Use in Kenyan Farming Households," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 205766, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    18. Sandeep Lloyd Kachchhap & Maake Albert Ong’uti, 2015. "Linking Personality and Strategic Leadership to Organizational Identification," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 5(8), pages 243-256, August.
    19. Maria Paola & Francesca Gioia, 2017. "Does patience matter in marriage stability? Some evidence from Italy," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 549-577, June.
    20. Sundar, B. & Virmani, Vineet, 2013. "“Impatience” of Forest Dependent Communities - Evidence from Andhra Pradesh," IIMA Working Papers WP2013-12-02, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.
    21. Shavit, Tal & Lahav, Eyal & Benzion, Uri, 2013. "Factors affecting soldiers’ time preference: A field study in Israel," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 75-84.
    22. Ben D'Exelle & Bjorn van Campenhout & Els Lecoutere, 2012. "Modernisation and Time Preferences in Tanzania: Evidence from a Large-Scale Elicitation Exercise," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(4), pages 564-580, April.
    23. Nicholas Magnan & Abby M. Love & Fulgence J. Mishili & Ganna Sheremenko, 2020. "Husbands’ and wives’ risk preferences and improved maize adoption in Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(5), pages 743-758, September.
    24. Zubair, Maria & Khanum, Ayesha & Nasir, Marjan, 2018. "Transfer Of Behavioral Traits From Parents To Children: An Experimental Approach," MPRA Paper 92121, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    25. Sundar, B. & Virmani, Vineet, 2013. "Attitudes towards Risk of Forest Dependent Communities - Evidence from Andhra Pradesh," IIMA Working Papers WP2013-12-01, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    time discounting; gender; children; experiment; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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