Preference for boys and length of birth intervals in Pakistan

A potential manifestation of son preference prevalent in Asia is gender-specific birth-spacing. The time couples wait before moving on to subsequent pregnancy remains short as long as desired number of sons are not born, leading to higher demand on the mother's body and greater health risks for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in economics Vol. 74; no. 2; pp. 140 - 152
Main Authors: Javed, Rashid, Mughal, Mazhar
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2020
Subjects:
Birth spacing
Gender bias
Pakistan
Risky birth
Son preference
Survival analysis
Survival analysis
O15
Pakistan
Birth spacing
C13
Risky birth
D13
Son preference
Gender bias
J13
Z13
ISSN:1090-9443, 1090-9451
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A potential manifestation of son preference prevalent in Asia is gender-specific birth-spacing. The time couples wait before moving on to subsequent pregnancy remains short as long as desired number of sons are not born, leading to higher demand on the mother's body and greater health risks for mother and child. In this study, we examine this phenomenon using three representative surveys of Pakistani households and duration model estimators. We find strong evidence for differential behavior at early parities. Women whose first or second children are sons have significantly longer subsequent birth intervals compared with women with no sons. Birth-spacing differs substantially by parity and number of children. The association seems to have undergone little significant change over the past two decades. Besides, the likelihood of risky births (i.e. those occuring less than 24 or 18 months from the previous birth) is higher among women without one or more sons.
ISSN:1090-9443
1090-9451
DOI:10.1016/j.rie.2020.04.001