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  5. Intergenerational and Sibling Spillovers in High School Majors

Intergenerational and Sibling Spillovers in High School Majors

  • Gordon B. Dahl
  • Dan-Olof Rooth
  • Anders Stenberg
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy (Forthcoming)

Abstract

This paper estimates family spillovers in high school major choice in Sweden, where admission to oversubscribed majors is determined based on GPA. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find large sibling and intergenerational spillovers that depend on the sex mix of a dyad. Same-sex siblings copy one another, while younger brothers recoil from older sister’s choices. Fathers and mothers influence sons, but not their daughters, except when a mother majors in the male-dominated program of Engineering. Back of the envelope calculations reveal these within family spillovers have sizable implications for the sex composition of majors.

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