Does Sex Imbalance Affect Family Businesses? Evidence from Rural China

This paper suggests that sex imbalance is a gender-related determinant of entrepreneurship. China has been experiencing an increasing surplus of men in the pre-marital age cohort since the late 1970s. This sex imbalance intensifies the mating competition among single men, thus stimulating households...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family and economic issues 2020-03, Vol.41 (1), p.4-18
Main Authors: Yuan, Yan, Rong, Zhao, Xu, Lihe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age groups
Companies
Economic theory
Entrepreneurship
Family
Family owned businesses
Finance
Households
Imbalance
Mating
Men
Original Paper
Ownership
Personality and Social Psychology
Rural areas
Rural communities
Single men
Social conditions & trends
Social Policy
Social Sciences
Sociology
Villages
Wealth
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Summary:This paper suggests that sex imbalance is a gender-related determinant of entrepreneurship. China has been experiencing an increasing surplus of men in the pre-marital age cohort since the late 1970s. This sex imbalance intensifies the mating competition among single men, thus stimulating households with sons to build wealth through start-up businesses. By examining households’ ownership of businesses based on a 2009 Rural Finance Survey in China, we find that son households are more likely to own businesses in villages where the sex imbalance is more severe. We further provide evidence that these son households are more capable of sustaining their businesses.
ISSN:1058-0476
1573-3475
DOI:10.1007/s10834-019-09644-0