Additional Returns to Investing in Girls' Education: Impact on Younger Sibling Human Capital

Abstract

This article estimates the effect of the oldest sister's education on child human capital development. In many developing countries, the oldest sisters share significant childcare responsibilities in the household and can influence younger siblings' learning. I propose a model that predicts competing effects of increasing the oldest sister's schooling on younger sibling human capital. Using an identification strategy that exploits the gender segregation of schools in Pakistan, I find that the oldest sister's schooling significantly improves younger brothers' literacy, numeracy and schooling. These results indicate that evaluations of programmes targeting girls' education that ignore these spillovers on younger siblings systematically underestimate total benefits.