Date of Award

8-12-2024

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Author's Department

Economics

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Type

Dissertation

Abstract

In this dissertation, I investigate the relationship between family structure, domestic environment, and child outcomes, with a focus on educational achievement in Russia. Chapter 1. Fertility, Marriage, and Cohabitation Across Family Types: Stylized Facts The first essay analyzes family structure in Russia, providing essential context and intuition for the rest of the thesis. Using the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), I document several stylized facts about the composition of families in Russia, with a focus on families with children. Additionally, I explore trends in cohabitation, marriage, and divorce, as well as fertility decisions among women in different family structures. I also examine the conditional correlations between these indicators, family structure, and women’s characteristics. The findings consistently show that family structure is a significant determinant of variations in marriage, cohabitation, and divorce across different families. Chapter 2. Home Environment and Outcomes of Women and Children: Evidence from Russia’s Decriminalization of Domestic Violence The second essay examines the impact of 2017 changes in Russian domestic violence laws, in particular, the decriminalization of domestic violence, on women and children using the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. Decriminalization of domestic violence serves as a natural experiment allowing the use of the Difference-in-Differences approach. Results indicate increased female employment as well as higher reported levels of unhappiness and sick leave usage among xv affected women, statistically significant even if limited in magnitude: 1.2 to 3.4% for all the considered outcomes. Results for children are less precise, however potentially larger in size: children in affected families have a lower probability of missing school due to sickness, up to 10%, as well as show signs of worse academic performance, by getting worse grades and entering high school at a lower rate. Chapter 3. Time Investment, Family Structure, and Children’s Educational Achievement The third and final essay explores the intergenerational transmission of human capital with a focus on the interplay between family structure and parental investment. I use the child questionnaire of the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) to construct indicators of a child’s time use, including skill development, leisure, and physical activity. This data allows precise identification of the family structure throughout a child’s life cycle. I develop a theoretical model of selection into family type, time investment, and the production of a child’s human capital, using it to estimate equations with the IV-LPM approach. The results show that family structure affects time investment patterns but not the educational outcomes under consideration, except for finishing college by age 23, which is negatively affected by living in a nuclear family. Selection into the family structure is influenced by the parental type, which affects time investment but not the final outcomes. The most critical factor for higher educational achievement is investment in skill development, particularly in middle school, while high investment in elementary school can negatively impact high school completion and college entry. Pre-school skill investment positively influences the probability of obtaining a college degree by age 23.

Language

English (en)

Chair and Committee

Limor Golan

Committee Members

Cecilia Diaz-Campo; George-Levi Gayle; Ismael Mourifie; Robert Pollak

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Available for download on Wednesday, November 19, 2025

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