CHILDREN IN BIG FAMILIES GET LESS, BUT ACHIEVE MORE

Each additional child in a family is associated with higher reading scores, even though additional births reduce parents’ investments in their offspring. In a study of the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation in Canada, the number of computers per child in homes with 6 children was 64% lower than in homes with 2 children, and parents in 6-child homes were 54% less likely to have saved for college than parents in 2-homes. Parents of large families may be more likely to be out of the workforce, and their presence in the home may boost children’s abilities. Another possibility is that parental investments in children ultimately have no effect.

Harvard Business Review
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