Sex preference in Bangladesh India and Pakistan and its effect on fertility.

Abstract

The literature on son preference is reviewed for Bangladesh India and Pakistan. Ethnographic literature presents behavioral evidence for negligence in food allocation and medical care for daughters. Mortality data also provides evidence of discrimination against daughters. Only a few small studies were conducted on desire for at least one daughter. Contraceptive use survey data provide evidence of son preference in family planning patterns. Simulation studies also provide empirical evidence of fertility increases with son preferences under conditions of perfect fertility control. Evidence centers on responses to the desired number of sons and daughters the order of preferences for various combinations of sons and daughters preference for the sex of the next child and desire for additional children. Although the Coombs sex preference index has been developed to disentangle sex preference from desired family size it has not been used in South Asia with the exception of the Matlab data in 1975-76. Matlab data showed son preference was high regardless of womans age age at first cohabitation education and attitude toward use of contraceptives. Stated preference for the sex of the next child is available from World Fertility Survey data. In Pakistan 71% preferred a boy and in Bangladesh 60% wanted their next child to be a boy. The review of the attitudinal literature shows a strong prevalence of preference for sons over daughters in Bangladesh India and Pakistan and desire for at least one daughter particularly among those who have sons. An attitudinal index derived in this paper from 10 data sets suggests that Pakistan had a higher son preference than Bangladesh and India during the 1970s and 1980s. Prevalence estimates are elusive however; there is evidence that in India son preference is stronger in the northern states. Ethnographic evidence suggests that health care discrimination occurs more frequently than food allocation discrimination. Male children were found to have higher anthropometric indexes. Higher female mortality (postneonatal) was found in all 3 countries. The fertility effect of son preference in all 3 countries is small. Parents achieve their goal by biological chance. The fertility effect in China my be greater. The desire for a balanced number of sons and daughters which is prevalent in Asian countries may have a greater effect on fertility.

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