Gender preferences for children

The report serves as a model for gleaning such information from DHS surveys, even though the latter lack questions directly related to gender preferences. Three aspects of gender preferences are examined: (1) women"s gender preference attitudes; (2) the extent to which gender preferences influence demographic behavior; and (3) differential treatment of daughters and sons, particularly during the first few years of life. The underlying reasons for gender preferences are briefly addressed. Son preference and a desire for a balanced number of daughters and sons are the two most prevalent types of gender preference revealed by the research, although gender preferences are weak or nonexistent in many countries. A preference for sons is particularly widespread in parts of South Asia, North Africa, and the Near East. Son preference is rarely found in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, or the Caribbean. In some situations, gender preferences for children affect reproductive attitudes and behavior as well as the treatment of daughters and sons. A strong preference for sons is often associated with reduced contraceptive use, increased fertility, and skewed sex distributions of children. The impact of gender preferences on reproductive behavior is more moderate than might be expected. The picture is quite mixed with respect to the differential treatment of female and male children. In almost every country, girls have more limited educational opportunities than boys. In countries with a strong son preference, girls sometimes receive less favorable treatment in terms of immunization coverage and health care, but they are not similarly disadvantaged with respect to feeding practices or nutritional status. The most distressing finding is the high relative risk of child mortality for girls in Egypt and most of South Asia. The strong preference for sons exhibited by many countries is firmly entrenched in enduring religious and cultural traditions and is often stubbornly resistant to change even in the face of rapid modernization. Attempts to modify parents" attitudes and behavior have included instituting educational campaigns in support of the girl child, establishing educational savings accounts for girls, banning the payment of dowries, and prohibiting the use of amniocentesis and other methods to determine the sex of fetuses. The long-term effectiveness of these policies and programs remains to be seen. Fragmentary evidence from multiple DHS surveys in Egypt and Morocco indicates that son preference has not been moderating in those countries, at least over the period of 4-5 years between surveys. The availability of additional DHS information from more recent surveys in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Jordan will soon provide further evidence of whether or not son preference is beginning to relax its grip in that part of the world. Includes references. (Author abstract, modified)