Global project 930-0068 · 1981–1989 · Rand Corp.

Do children's economic contributions to parents influence fertility rates in developing countries? As a first step toward answering this question, this study analyzes data from the 1976 Malaysian Family Life Survey to determine how economic transfers from children to parents vary by characteristics of households and children. Introductory sections treat past efforts in this area, the difficulties of measuring the costs of having children, the country setting and the data base for this study and factors sometimes thought to influence children's contributions, e.g., sex roles, and the demand for family labor. Descriptive statistics for five types of children's time use - any work activity, labor force participation, producing home products, housework, and schoolwork - are presented, and three multivariate analyses of time use, one based on labor force participation, the other two adding, respectively, producing home products and housework, are conducted and their results compared. Although results do not answer the initial question, they do indicate the economic importance of children in Malaysia and contradict some widely held beliefs, e.g., that poor children participate more in p

Source: DEC abstract, PN-AAN-193 (1983). The source's own text.