Family Size and Adolescents’ Education and Work in Brazil: Exploring the Exogenous Variation of Family Size Using Twins and Sibling Sex Composition

Leticia J. Marteleto, University of Texas at Austin
Laeticia R. de Souza, Center for Demography and Ecology - University of Wisconsin at Madison

There has been a long line of research focusing on how family size influences a wide range of adolescent outcomes. While the early empirical literature on developed countries has generally confirmed the prediction that family size is negatively related to adolescents’ outcomes, additional studies have reported variation. This paper draws on research suggesting variation in the association between family size and adolescents’ education/work and on recent studies addressing the endogeneity between family size and adolescents' outcomes to assess gender differences on the effects of family size on adolescents’ education and work in Brazil. We use the nationally representative PNAD data from 2001-2008 to implement twin and same-sex sibling approaches to examine the question of gender differentials in the effects of family size on adolescents’ education and work. Our preliminary analysis shows important gender differences on how family size impinges on the educational outcomes and work status of Brazilian adolescents.