Dowry, Old-Age Support and Labour Supply over the Lifecycle

Dowry, Old-Age Support and Labour Supply over the Lifecycle

Alison Andrew (Oxford University)

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ABSTRACT:

We study the complex interaction between dowry, old-age support and lifecycle choices over work and consumption in the context of India, where eldest sons are expected to provide old-age support. We begin by documenting novel facts around differences in economic welfare between households without sons and those with at least one son. Parents without sons are more likely to be hungry in old age, unhealthy and suffer from low body weight. These households also consume less and have fewer assets. We present a novel structural model that encompasses dynamic lifecycle decisions around work, consumption and children's marriage, taking into account social norms around dowry and old-age support. The model reproduces the main descriptive patterns.

BIO:

Alison Andrew is an Associate Professor of Economics (without tenure) at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow at Trinity College, Oxford. She was awarded her PhD from UCL in October 2022 and worked as a Senior Research Economist at the Institute of Fiscal Studies in London while studying for her PhD.