Parents in developing Asia tend to spend more on sons but receive higher returns from daughters, turning on its head an age-old belief that sons—not daughters—take care of their aging parents.

This is true in the People’s Republic of China, where children are expected to help their parents based on Confucian philosophy, which values filial piety and altruism. Data show that investments in daughters paid off better than money spent on sons. Daughters gave back to their aging parents financial support, and helped with tasks like shopping, housekeeping, accounting, food preparation, telephone calls, and transportation.

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https://www.adb.org/publications/son-biased-investments-and-old-age-support

Author

Christine Ho, School of Economics, Singapore Management University

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