Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?

M. Niaz Asadullah; Nazia Mansoor; Teresa Randazzo; Zaki Wahhaj

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105353

Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?

M. Niaz Asadullah
, Nazia Mansoor
, Teresa Randazzo
, Zaki Wahhaj^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

International Development

University Malaya Medical Centre
University of Paris-Dauphine
Ca' Foscari University
University of Kent

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Historically, son preference has been widely prevalent in South Asia, manifested in the form of skewed sex ratios, gender differentials in child mortality, and worse educational investments in daughters versus sons. In the present study, we show, using data from a purposefully designed nationally representative survey for Bangladesh, that among women of childbearing age, son bias in stated fertility preferences has weakened and there is an emerging preference for gender balance. We examine a number of different hypotheses for the decline in son preference, including the increasing availability of female employment in the manufacturing sector, increased female education, and the decline of joint family living. Using survival analysis, we show that in contrast to stated fertility preferences, actual fertility decisions are still shaped by son preference.

Original language	English
Article number	105353
Journal	WORLD DEVELOPMENT
Volume	140
Early online date	13 Jan 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105353
Publication status	Published - 30 Apr 2021

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 5 Gender Equality
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Keywords

Bangladesh
Birth spacing
Female employment
Fertility
Gender bias

Access to Document

10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105353

Cite this

@article{a0c67d831a69439aa05eb92585f6b717,

title = "Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?",

abstract = "Historically, son preference has been widely prevalent in South Asia, manifested in the form of skewed sex ratios, gender differentials in child mortality, and worse educational investments in daughters versus sons. In the present study, we show, using data from a purposefully designed nationally representative survey for Bangladesh, that among women of childbearing age, son bias in stated fertility preferences has weakened and there is an emerging preference for gender balance. We examine a number of different hypotheses for the decline in son preference, including the increasing availability of female employment in the manufacturing sector, increased female education, and the decline of joint family living. Using survival analysis, we show that in contrast to stated fertility preferences, actual fertility decisions are still shaped by son preference.",

keywords = "Bangladesh, Birth spacing, Female employment, Fertility, Gender bias",

author = "Asadullah, \{M. Niaz\} and Nazia Mansoor and Teresa Randazzo and Zaki Wahhaj",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2021",

month = apr,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105353",

language = "English",

volume = "140",

journal = "WORLD DEVELOPMENT",