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Is Son Preference Disappearing from Bangladesh?

Author

Listed:
  • M Niaz Asadullah

    (Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya)

  • Nazia Mansoor

    (INTO City, University of London)

  • Teresa Randazzo

    (Department of Economics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice)

  • Zaki Wahhaj

    (School of Economics, University of Kent)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • M Niaz Asadullah & Nazia Mansoor & Teresa Randazzo & Zaki Wahhaj, 2020. "Is Son Preference Disappearing from Bangladesh?," Working Papers 2020:24, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    • Handle: RePEc:ven:wpaper:2020:24
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    Cited by:

    1. Jiseon Baek & Francesca Fiori & Hill Kulu & Sarah Christison, 2025. "Fertility differences across immigrant generations in the United Kingdom," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 52(33), pages 1051-1096.
    2. Md Nuruzzaman Khan & Shimlin Jahan Khanam & Md Arif Billah & Md Mostaured Ali Khan & M Mofizul Islam, 2024. "Children’s sex composition and modern contraceptive use among mothers in Bangladesh," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Heather Congdon Fors & Annika Lindskog, 2023. "Son preference and education Inequalities in India: the role of gender-biased fertility strategies and preferential treatment of boys," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1431-1460, July.
    4. Mahbub Hossain & M. Niaz Asadullah & Uma Kambhampati, 2021. "Women’s empowerment and gender-differentiated food allocation in Bangladesh," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 739-767, September.
    5. Bao, Te & Yuan, Yuemei & Luo, Weidong & Xu, Bin, 2024. "Unlucky to have brothers: Sibling sex composition and girls’ locus of control," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    6. Xu, Sijia & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Fujii, Tomoki, 2022. "Assessing gender parity in intrahousehold allocation of educational resources: Evidence from Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    7. Konstantin Kazenin, 2025. "Preference for Sons and Daughters in Developing Countries: When Does (Dis)agreement Between Spouses Come into Play?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 44(1), pages 1-35, February.
    8. Tushar Bharati & Adnan M. S. Fakir, 2022. "Health Costs of a “Healthy Democracy”: The Impact of Peaceful Political Protests on Healthcare Utilization," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 22-15, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    9. Wen, Xin & Cheng, Zhiming & Tani, Massimiliano, 2025. "Daughters, Savings and Household Finances," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    10. Junhui Shi & Fang Wang & Huan Wang, 2022. "The Effect of Household Technology on Child Health: Evidence from China’s “Home Appliances Going to the Countryside” Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-19, September.
    11. Guimbeau, Amanda & Ji, Xinde James & Long, Zi & Menon, Nidhiya, 2024. "Ocean salinity, early-life health, and adaptation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    12. Guimbeau, Amanda & Ji, Xinde & Menon, Nidhiya & Long, Zi, 2022. "An Extra Grain of Salt: The Effect of Salinity Exposure on Early Life Health Outcomes in Coastal Bangladesh," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322076, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Nahid Tavassoli, 2021. "The Gender-Biased Fertility Behavior: Evidence from Southeast Asian Countries," Economic Alternatives, University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria, issue 2, pages 235-261, July.
    14. Liu, Xinghua & Liang, Yue & Chen, Kevin Z., 2024. "Dairy trade liberalization and child stunting: Evidence from low- and middle-income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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