Do family arrangements affect parents’ decision of school for their children?

Abstract This study aims to analyze whether family arrangements (single-parent or two-parent) influence the choice of school system (public or private) for children. For this analysis, data from the 2015 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) were used. Results point to dissimilarities among family arrangements which can be explained by differences in individual preferences as well as in family income. We found that families are more likely to invest privately in early childhood education. The evidence may be due to the small number of public day care centers. According to the order of birth, families can invest in their eldest child to the detriment of their other children, in the case of female single-parent and two-parent family arrangements. In addition, we found that male children were less likely to study in a private school in female single-parent arrangement. This result may show mothers’ wishes to encourage daughters to study in an attempt to empower them.