Son Preference and Fertility Behavior in Developing Countries

The hypothesis that in some less developed countries in Africa and Asia the desire for a minimum number of sons directly affects fertility behavior was tested. 4 groups of existing data from well-conducted sample surveys in countries typified by strong son preference were used. 2 were selected from North India 1 from the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh and 1 from Morocco. The data include the necessary reproductive histories. The findings fail to support the hypothesis that in countries with strong son preference fertility limitation is affected by the strong desire to ensure the survival of 1 or more sons. Actually the families without sons or with a higher proportion of daugh ters tend to have fewer children. In contrast families…