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Author: Pham-Kanter, Genevieve
Resulting in 1 citation.
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Pham-Kanter, Genevieve |
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Sons, Daughters, and Maternal Weight Presented: Atlanta GA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2010 Cohort(s): NLSY79 Publisher: American Sociological Association Keyword(s): Children; Mothers; Mothers and Daughters; Sons; Weight Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher. Although the effect of parents on children has been the focus of much research on health and families, the influence of children on their parents has been far less studied. In this paper, I examine the effect of the sex composition of children on the weight trajectory of mothers. I find that women who have teenage daughters weigh (on average) 5-7 lbs less than women with teenage sons, and that the presence of an additional daughter in the family depresses mothers' weights even further. I evaluate several hypotheses that might be generating this weight difference, including the possibility that women who have sons may have increased bargaining power, giving them leverage to gain weight; that women who have daughters may intensify their appearance-oriented behaviors; and that women who have sons may be exposed to more high-calorie eating environments. I also evaluate the possibility that biological mechanisms might be generating this weight gap. I find evidence in support of the bargaining power and appearance-oriented behavior hypotheses, and less evidence in support of the social eating and biological hypotheses. These results shed light on mechanisms of social inequality that may be occurring on a day-to-day basis within families. |
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Bibliography Citation
Pham-Kanter, Genevieve. "Sons, Daughters, and Maternal Weight." Presented: Atlanta GA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2010. |