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Although gender equality is crucial for sustained economic growth, persistent disparities in educational access continue to hinder its full realization. This study examines the effect of clan culture on the gender gap in educational attainment. Using data from China’s 2005 and 2015 intercensal population surveys and 2010 population census, we find that in regions with strong clan culture, women are significantly less likely than men to receive upper secondary and higher education. Specifically, both rural and urban women exhibit lower high school enrolment rates, whereas urban women face greater constraints in accessing tertiary education when exposed to strong clan culture. The mechanism analysis reveals that clan culture exacerbates gender disparities in education through three channels: (1) intensifying marriage and fertility pressures on women, (2) reducing returns to education for women, and (3) weakening women’s educational aspirations. This study provides new insights into how cultural factors shape the gender gap in educational attainment, and offers important implications for policies aimed at promoting gender equality in education, particularly in the context of fertility-promoting policy frameworks.
Li et al. (Mon,) studied this question.