Gender Differences in the Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program

35 Pages Posted: 24 May 2017 Last revised: 22 Jun 2023

See all articles by Jorge Luis García

Jorge Luis García

Clemson University - John E. Walker Department of Economics; University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics

James J. Heckman

University of Chicago - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); American Bar Foundation; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Anna Ziff

University of Chicago

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 2017

Abstract

This paper studies the life-cycle impacts of a widely-emulated high-quality, intensive early childhood program with long-term follow up. The program starts early in life (at 8 weeks of age) and is evaluated by an RCT. There are multiple treatment effects which we summarize through interpretable aggregates. Girls have a greater number of statistically significant treatment effects than boys and effect sizes for them are generally bigger. The source of this difference is worse home environments for girls with greater scope for improvement by the program. Fathers of sons support their families more than fathers of daughters.

Suggested Citation

Garcia, Jorge Luis and Heckman, James J. and Ziff, Anna, Gender Differences in the Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program (May 2017). NBER Working Paper No. w23412, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2971789

Jorge Luis Garcia (Contact Author)

Clemson University - John E. Walker Department of Economics ( email )

Clemson, SC 29634
United States

University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics ( email )

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James J. Heckman

University of Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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American Bar Foundation

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Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

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CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

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Germany

Anna Ziff

University of Chicago ( email )

1101 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
United States

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