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Title: Why Parents Play Favorites: Explanations for Unequal Bequests
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Light, Audrey L. McGarry, Kathleen |
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Why Parents Play Favorites: Explanations for Unequal Bequests American Economic Review 94,5 (December 2004): 1669-1682. Also: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/0002828043052321 Cohort(s): Mature Women, Young Women Publisher: American Economic Association Keyword(s): Inheritance; Mothers; Mothers, Health; Transfers, Parental Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher. The article explores the explanations given by mothers in the U.S. who participated in the 1999 National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Mature Women, on why they intend to divide their estates unequally among their children. The data for a sample of 45- to 80-year-old mothers include a feature not available in other surveys which assessed the relative importance of alternative motives for parental transfers: verbatim explanations of why mothers intend to divide their estates unequally among their children. The analysis indicates that a variety of motives come into play when mothers determine the allocation of their estates. Relatively few mothers intend to differentiate among their children in making bequests, but those who do are equally likely to provide explanations that are consistent with altruism and explanations that suggest exchange. Among mothers with adopted children or stepchildren, a surprisingly large number refer to their children's biological status in their response. Factors such as poor maternal health, the presence of non-biological children and increased within-family variation in children's predicted income are associated with a higher probability of unequal bequests. |
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Bibliography Citation
Light, Audrey L. and Kathleen McGarry. "Why Parents Play Favorites: Explanations for Unequal Bequests." American Economic Review 94,5 (December 2004): 1669-1682.
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