This paper is concerned with the economic value of children to parents focusing on labor contributions in an agriculturally based village in western India. In order to evaluate the possible link between economic utility and fertility demand for labor both within the village and between individual households is examined. The results show low levels of participation by children in family enterprises up to age 17 and underemployment beyond that age accompanied by an impetus toward out-migration of sons. Contrary to results reported elsewhere families with greater demand for labor including poorer households receive less help from children than do other groups. It is argued that low productivity of labor in the survey area underlies this phenomenon and leads to strong preference for educating sons. Concomitantly sensitivity to costs of children is more prevalent among villagers than the belief that children are economically beneficial. (Authors)
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M. Vlassoff (1979) studied this question.