To estimate the effect of having sisters on political
attitudes, we analyze data from the University of
Michigan Political Socialization Panel (PSP) and the
children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth
(NLSY) young-adult sample. In addition to having
detailed information on a respondent’s siblings, each
of these rich panel datasets offers unique advantages.
The PSP has data on gender-role attitudes and partisanship
collected over four waves—starting in 1965 and
ending in 1997—enabling us to consider the effect of
having sisters on political attitudes over a long stretch of
time. In addition to making it possible to replicate the
PSP results, the NLSY contains information on respondents’
childhood experiences. Although the NLSY
only asked political attitude questions recently, it asked
detailed questions in earlier surveys about household
tasks performed during childhood, allowing us to
explore a potential underlying mechanism. Both datasets
also contain detailed parental information which
we use to conduct randomization checks that confirm
the validity of the natural experiment. More broadly,
findings in political behavior often come from a single
survey or experiment. Being able to demonstrate a
particular effect in two independent datasets is uncommon
and increases the plausibility of the results.
In both datasets, we find that having sisters rather
than brothers makes young men—but not young
women—more likely to express conservative positions
on gender roles and to identify as Republicans. The
consistency of the positive effects for men (and the null
effects for women) across specifications and datasets is
striking. In the PSP, compared to male respondents
whose siblings were all brothers, we estimate that male
respondents who grew up with only sisters are up to
a full category more conservative on gender roles on
a 7-point scale. In the NLSY, which was administered
more than 30 years after the first wave of the PSP, the
effect of having sisters on males’ gender-role attitudes is
significant but smaller, suggesting that the effect may
have been larger in a time of less progressive views on
gender issues. The effects on partisanship are of similar
size in the two datasets and statistically stronger in the
NLSY due to its larger sample size.
Our analyses also suggest a potential mechanism.
In the NLSY, detailed data collected from respondents
during their childhood show that boys with
sisters are substantially less likely to have performed
female-stereotyped household tasks during childhood
than boys with brothers. For girls, sibling gender has
no effect on chore assignment. We also utilize the
PSP data to show that men who grew up with sisters
continue to perform fewer household chores even in
middle age, suggesting the persistent effect of childhood
experiences. As we describe in the following section,
these effects of having sisters for males in particular is
consistent with existing research on family interactions.
The gender stereotyping of the childhood environment
thus may help to explain the effects that sisters have on
male political attitudes.
To estimate the effect of having sisters on politicalattitudes, we analyze data from the University ofMichigan Political Socialization Panel (PSP) and thechildren of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth(NLSY) young-adult sample. In addition to havingdetailed information on a respondent’s siblings, eachof these rich panel datasets offers unique advantages.The PSP has data on gender-role attitudes and partisanshipcollected over four waves—starting in 1965 andending in 1997—enabling us to consider the effect ofhaving sisters on political attitudes over a long stretch oftime. In addition to making it possible to replicate thePSP results, the NLSY contains information on respondents’childhood experiences. Although the NLSYonly asked political attitude questions recently, it askeddetailed questions in earlier surveys about householdtasks performed during childhood, allowing us toexplore a potential underlying mechanism. Both datasetsalso contain detailed parental information whichwe use to conduct randomization checks that confirmthe validity of the natural experiment. More broadly,findings in political behavior often come from a singlesurvey or experiment. Being able to demonstrate aparticular effect in two independent datasets is uncommonand increases the plausibility of the results.In both datasets, we find that having sisters ratherthan brothers makes young men—but not youngwomen—more likely to express conservative positionson gender roles and to identify as Republicans. Theconsistency of the positive effects for men (and the nulleffects for women) across specifications and datasets isstriking. In the PSP, compared to male respondentswhose siblings were all brothers, we estimate that malerespondents who grew up with only sisters are up toa full category more conservative on gender roles ona 7-point scale. In the NLSY, which was administeredmore than 30 years after the first wave of the PSP, theeffect of having sisters on males’ gender-role attitudes issignificant but smaller, suggesting that the effect mayhave been larger in a time of less progressive views ongender issues. The effects on partisanship are of similarsize in the two datasets and statistically stronger in theNLSY due to its larger sample size.Our analyses also suggest a potential mechanism.In the NLSY, detailed data collected from respondentsduring their childhood show that boys withsisters are substantially less likely to have performedfemale-stereotyped household tasks during childhoodthan boys with brothers. For girls, sibling gender hasno effect on chore assignment. We also utilize thePSP data to show that men who grew up with sisterscontinue to perform fewer household chores even inmiddle age, suggesting the persistent effect of childhoodexperiences. As we describe in the following section,these effects of having sisters for males in particular is
consistent with existing research on family interactions.
The gender stereotyping of the childhood environment
thus may help to explain the effects that sisters have on
male political attitudes.
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