The Causal Effect of Having an Opposite Sex Sibling on Attitudes

Last registered on December 10, 2021

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

The Causal Effect of Having an Opposite Sex Sibling on Attitudes

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0008667

Initial registration date

December 07, 2021

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

December 10, 2021, 10:38 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Johanna Reuter

Affiliation

Johannes Kepler University

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Martin Habets

PI Affiliation

European University Institute

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2021-12-08

End date

2021-12-31

Keywords

Behavior, Gender

Additional Keywords

Family

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

This project wants to address the causal effect of sibling's gender on attitudes towards gender roles, liberalism and preferences. We plan to collect detailed data on individual attitudes towards gender roles, liberalism and preferences regarding jobs and individual traits. We do so in order to better understand how family composition - in particular the gender composition of siblings - influences individual attitudes.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Habets, Martin and Johanna Reuter. 2021. "The Causal Effect of Having an Opposite Sex Sibling on Attitudes." AEA RCT Registry. December 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8667-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2021-12-08

Intervention End Date

2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Index on gender roles in the family
Indices on relationship with parents
Indices on liberalism (party affiliation and views)

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Relationship to next born sibling
Index on gender roles in employment
Indices on liberalism (government spending)
Indices on own characteristics
Indices on job preferences

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We conduct an online survey of women and men aged 18-30 in the UK. The relevant sample, in order to identify causal effects of sibling gender, are first born individuals who have at least one younger sibling.
The survey is composed of questions on sibling structure and relationships with siblings, gender roles regarding family life and employment, attitudes towards liberalism, occupational aspirations and own traits, the relationship with the parents as well as background questions on individual characteristics.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

We look at the effect of the gender of the second-born sibling on a first-born child and we do this separately by gender of the first-born child. Hence, we compare first-born women who have a second-born brother to first-born women who have a second-born sister, and the same for first-born men. This empirical strategy allows us to uncover the causal effect of the gender of one’s sibling, since once one conditions on the gender of the first child the gender of the second child is as good as random.

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?