Daughters’ and Sons’ Remittances in Rural China: Findings From a National Survey

In China, it has historically been the responsibility of sons rather than daughters to provide economic support to older parents. This study used a sample of 12,389 non-coresident children to analyze whether such gender differences persist in contemporary rural China and how they can be explained. A two-part model showed that daughters were somewhat more likely to remit to parents, although sons provided higher amounts. The support of parents by both daughters and sons was found to be strongly related to out-migration and the receipt of grandchild care, but the negative effect of marriage was stronger for daughters. These findings imply a weakening of the traditional gendered division of intergenerational support. The increased importance of daughters as a source of economic security in later life is likely to reduce parents’ preference for sons.