Research Seminar in Economics, April 23
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This study examines how Sweden's school entry policy interacts with family structure to shape the educational outcomes of second-generation migrant girls. Using a regression discontinuity design on high-quality administrative data, I first assess the direct effects of late school entry, showing that it benefits migrant girls with younger sisters but not those with younger brothers. Furthermore, by investigating sibling spillover effects from an older sibling's late school entry, I demonstrate that spending more time at home with an older brother who enters school late has a strong negative effect on the educational outcomes of younger sisters. I propose a simple theory to explain these results, highlighting gender bias in parental preferences as a key factor. Supporting this interpretation, I present evidence showing that these negative impacts are specific to migrant girls, with neither migrant boys nor native children experiencing similar effects. Moreover, the effects are more pronounced in migrant families with traditional backgrounds and are also reflected in mothers' labor supply decisions when sons, rather than daughters, enter school late.