The Intergenerational Effects of Paternal Migration on Schooling and Work: What can We Learn from Children's Time Allocations?

29 Pages Posted: 21 Feb 2010

See all articles by Francisca Antman

Francisca Antman

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics

Date Written: February 18, 2010

Abstract

This paper explores the immediate effects of a father's U.S. migration on his children's schooling and work outcomes in Mexico. To get around the endogeneity of paternal migration, I use individual fixed effects and IV estimation where the instrumental variables are based on U.S. city-level employment statistics in two industries popular with Mexican immigrants. Overall, the estimates suggest that children reduce study hours and increase work hours in response to a father's U.S. migration. Decomposing the sample into sex- and age-specific groups shows that the main group driving these results are 12-15 year-old boys. These results are consistent with a story in which the immediate aftermath of a father's migration is one of financial hardship that is borne in large part by relatively young children.

Keywords: migration, father absence, education, child labor, time allocation

JEL Classification: O15, J12, J13, J22, J24, F22

Suggested Citation

Antman, Francisca, The Intergenerational Effects of Paternal Migration on Schooling and Work: What can We Learn from Children's Time Allocations? (February 18, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1555852 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1555852

Francisca Antman (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics ( email )

Campus Box 256
Boulder, CO 80309
United States

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