Patrilineality, fertility, and women's income: Evidence from family lineage in China

This study investigates how traditional patrilineal family institution influences women's income through fertility behavior by offering evidence from family lineage ( zongzu ) in China. We hypothesize that family with strong lineage—proxied by owning genealogy—has a negative effect on women's income through the son-targeting fertility behavior. Using a difference-in-differences strategy, this study confirms the hypothesis. Relative to the women whose first child is a son, the women marring into families owning genealogy indeed have more children and lower income, if their first child is a daughter. In contrast, such finding does not hold for the male sample. Preliminary evidence suggests that shorter work time can explain the findings. • Family lineage negatively impacts women's income through fertility behavior. • Mothers in families with strong lineage have more children if the first child is a daughter. • Mothers in families with strong lineage have lower income if the first child is a daughter. • Shorter work time can explain the lower income.