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Preference for Sex of Children Among Women in Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Sapkota, Jeet Bahadur
  • Paudel, Damaru Ballabha
  • Neupane, Pramila
  • Thapa, Rajesh Bahadur

Abstract

The preference for a son at birth is one of the key issues of demographic studies conducted in less developed countries; however, there is a rare exploration of child’s sex preference among women in Nepal. This paper estimates the likelihood of a preference for son or daughter using the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, which contains a nationally representative sample of Nepalese women. A multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that son and daughter preferences widely vary across ethnicities, educational and economic status, and geographical region. Regarding ethnic origin, women from the Janajati (the largest ethnic minority group that consists of many sub-ethnic groups) prefer daughter more than the top two caste groups, the Brahman and Chhetri, whereas the Madhesi, Muslim, and other ethnic minority women prefer son more than the top two caste groups. Similarly, less educated, poorer, and rural women prefer son more than more educated, richer, urban women in general. Women who desire more of either sex end up with more children in their household.

Suggested Citation

  • Sapkota, Jeet Bahadur & Paudel, Damaru Ballabha & Neupane, Pramila & Thapa, Rajesh Bahadur, 2018. "Preference for Sex of Children Among Women in Nepal," MPRA Paper 106095, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:106095
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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