Hubei Provincial Epidemic Disease Prevention Station Gender bias in family formation in China is well-documented. Much less is known about how children fare once they become part of a family. Drawing on fieldwork and survey data, we describe the care of young children, and investigate the relationship between the one-child policy and parental involvement in care. Results indicate that the one-child policy, insofar as it limits couples to one or two children, leads to greater involvement by parents in child care. Additional effects of policy vary by children's gender.
Boys receive similar care regardless of the one-child policy in their communities.
Girls, living in communities where couples are permitted another child if their first is a girl, are more likely to receive parental care than girls in other communities. These results suggest that gender bias in China is not solely due to outdated 'feudal' ideas resulting in son preference. This study examines the nature and determinants of father involvement among mainland Puerto Ricans using interview data collected from mothers of a representative sample of Puerto Rican infants. A key question addressed in the analysis is whether father involvement is influenced primarily by the father's economic status or whether other factors identified in the literature are also important for Puerto Ricans. Overall, our results underscore the critical role of employment in fathers' contributions to Puerto Rican children.