Having a Daughter Reduces Male Violence Against a Partner

Abstract

In a global sample of around 310,000 couples, men whose firstborn child is a girl (instead of a boy) are 10 percent less likely to strangle their partner each year. The probability that they kick, punch, or slap her also decreases by about 4 percent. These are causal effects under the assumption that the sex of the firstborn child is exogenous. Intimate partner violence has enormous costs, but is not yet fully understood. This paper reveals the importance of having daughters in regard to curbing male violence. It also contributes to the burgeoning literature on how children influence their parents.