Why Women Own Less? Sibship Structure and Gender Inequality in Homeownership

Abstract

Existing research documents that a gender wealth gap exists across societies, which can be attributed to gender disparities in individual characteristics and intrafamily resource transfers. This study, focusing on China, examines how sibship structure contributes to gender inequality in homeownership, the largest share of family wealth. While prior literature has highlighted parents’ unequal transfers to sons and daughters, we emphasize the significance of both intergenerational and intersibling transfers. Due to strong patriarchal traditions in China, siblings are more inclined to financially support their brothers than sisters. Consequently, having siblings may exert opposite effects on men and women. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies and the Covariate Balancing Generalized Propensity Score method to alleviate selection into different sibship sizes, we show that (1) compared to only-child sons, only-child daughters are significantly less likely to have their names on the property deed; (2) gender inequality in homeownership widens as the number of siblings increases; and (3) while men benefit from having siblings, women with younger, spaced-apart siblings get penalized in access to homeownership. These findings suggest that women’s wealth disadvantages are rooted in their inferior position in the kinship system.

Keywords: gender inequality, wealth inequality, housing inequality, sibship structure, China