Martin Halla, Vienna University of Economics and Business

"Son Preference and Mental Health of Fathers"

Abstract

There is ample evidence that fathers favor sons over daughters. Yet, fathers of sons have poorer mental health than those of daughters. We illuminate and aim to explain this previously undocumented puzzle using Austrian data. We use various administrative and survey data sources to show that fathers with first-born sons tend to behave more like mothers, i.e. they invest significantly more in childcare and less in market work. Mothers’ investment behavior is not affected by the sex of the child. We conclude that the mental health of these men suffers from this shift in parenting behavior.

Martin Halla is an applied microeconometrician with main research interests in family, labor and health. He is also interested in various aspects of political economy and regularly work on tax evasion. Recently, he has become interested in using historical data from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

You can read more about Martin Halla here

CEBI contact: Sarah Sander