Equal Dreams: The One Child Policy and the Consumption of Education in Urban China

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This study explores the effect that China's one child birth policy is having on gender equality in urban areas of China, as viewed through patterns of consumption. Specifically, differential access to education by gender is examined through an analysis of the investments of urban parents in their children's education. The results of the study show that there are few important differences in the aspirations of parents for daughters versus sons. In addition, educational expenditures, including tuition, private lessons, books, and other educational products, show no significant differences by gender. These results seem to indicate that, in an important departure from a long history of unequal access to education by females in China, urban children are receiving full and equitable investments in their futures by their families, regardless of their gender. The results have important implications for the effects that public policies can have on gender equality.