The effect and timing sensitivity of parenting style on cognitive and non‐cognitive skills

I exploit data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and linked administrative data to study the effect of various parenting styles on a child's academic achievement and development of non‐cognitive skills at age 14. My results suggest the authoritative parenting style, characterised as disciplined but warm parenting, to be optimal for test scores, prosocial behaviour, and ability to focus. For test scores, I find a greater effect if this parenting style was applied 4 years prior rather than more recently. Conversely for non‐cognitive skills, I find a greater effect from contemporaneous parenting. The implication of my results is to encourage authoritative parenting from an early age but also highlight its continued importance in the present.