Three economists - Chinhui Juhn and C. Andrew Zuppann from the University of Houston, and Yona Rubinstein from the London School of Economics- have done extensive research about the effects of having a bigger family on both the parents and their children. Their research shows some of the disadvantages of having big families.
The three economists used 26 years of data about different families to conclude that every time a child is added to the family, the other children will more likely have problems with their academics or their behavior. Girls are more likely to have problems with school performance and boys are more likely to have behavioral problems when more children are added to the family.
"The research showed that these effects weren't a temporary side effect of the birth of a younger sibling, but persisted through childhood and into later life - resulting in lower education, lower earnings, more criminal behavior, and more teenage pregnancies," written in the paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The disadvantages of bigger families on parents include less parenting and bonding time with each child which result to less time to help each child with their academics and to mold the behaviour of each child.
"The paper builds on older research that claims that families face a trade-off between the quantity of kids they have and the 'quality' of each kid - an awkward term that refers to things like how much education the child receives, whether they are employed when they grow up,and whether they end up with a criminal record," notes the Washington Post about the paper.
Although the recent study shows some of the disadvantages of having big families, the economists say that their research does not take into account the happiness, satisfaction, and fulfilment the family members get by having a big family. The size of a family will still depend on the goals and priorities of the parents and their children.
