Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?

Asadullah, M. Niaz and Mansoor, Nazia and Randazzo, Teresa and Wahhaj, Zaki (2021) Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh? World Development, 140. ISSN 0305-750X, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105353.

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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. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type: Article
Funders: Australian Government (66396)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Fertility; Gender bias; Birth spacing; Female employment; Bangladesh
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Business
Divisions: Faculty of Economics & Administration
Depositing User: Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim
Date Deposited: 15 Mar 2022 07:42
Last Modified: 17 Mar 2022 07:51
URI: http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/26531

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