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Changing Patterns of Son Preference and Fertility in Pakistan

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  • Javed, Rashid
  • Mughal, Mazhar

Abstract

Using data from two representative Demographic and Health Surveys, we examine the change in son preference over the past three decades and its effects on Pakistani women's fertility. We analyse a number of indicators and employ different empirical methods to come up with strong and persistent evidence for both the revealed and stated preference for sons. This disproportionate preference for boys is visible in increasing desired sex ratio and worsening sex ratio at last birth. Reliance over differential birth-stopping has significantly increased over time as couples are more likely to stop childbearing once the desired number of boys is achieved.

Suggested Citation

  • Javed, Rashid & Mughal, Mazhar, 2022. "Changing Patterns of Son Preference and Fertility in Pakistan," EconStor Preprints 248643, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:esprep:248643
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Javed, Rashid & Mughal, Mazhar, 2020. "Preference for boys and length of birth intervals in Pakistan," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 140-152.
    2. John Bongaarts, 2013. "The Implementation of Preferences for Male Offspring," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 39(2), pages 185-208, June.
    3. Lixing Li & Xiaoyu Wu, 2011. "Gender of Children, Bargaining Power, and Intrahousehold Resource Allocation in China," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 46(2), pages 295-316.
    4. Rashid Javed & Mazhar Mughal, 2019. "Have a Son, Gain a Voice: Son Preference and Female Participation in Household Decision Making," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(12), pages 2526-2548, December.
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    6. Adriana D. Kugler & Santosh Kumar, 2017. "Preference for Boys, Family Size, and Educational Attainment in India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(3), pages 835-859, June.
    7. Wooldridge, Jeffrey M., 2007. "Inverse probability weighted estimation for general missing data problems," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 1281-1301, December.
    8. Quanbao Jiang & Ying Li & Jesús Sánchez-Barricarte, 2016. "Fertility Intention, Son Preference, and Second Childbirth: Survey Findings from Shaanxi Province of China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 125(3), pages 935-953, February.
    9. repec:wbk:wbpubs:4389 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Avinash Kishore & Dean Spears, 2014. "Having a Son Promotes Clean Cooking Fuel Use in Urban India: Women's Status and Son Preference," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 62(4), pages 673-699.
    11. Narayan Das, 1987. "Sex preference and fertility behavior: A study of recent Indian data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 24(4), pages 517-530, November.
    12. Milazzo, Annamaria, 2018. "Why are adult women missing? Son preference and maternal survival in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 467-484.
    13. Deepankar Basu & Robert Jong, 2010. "Son targeting fertility behavior: Some consequences and determinants," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(2), pages 521-536, May.
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    16. Batool Zaidi & S. Philip Morgan, 2016. "In the Pursuit of Sons: Additional Births or Sex-Selective Abortion in Pakistan?," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 42(4), pages 693-710, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Batool Zaidi, 2024. "Losing the female survival advantage: Sex differentials in infant and child mortality in Pakistan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 50(15), pages 411-442.
    2. Boburmirzo Ibrokhimov & Rashid Javed & Mazhar Mughal, 2023. "Migrants remittances and fertility in the Post-Soviet states," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(6), pages 574-596, August.
    3. Dushamova, Khilola & Javed, Rashid & Suyunov, Gayrat & Zakirova, Munira, 2026. "A Tale of Two Choices: Son Preference and Reproductive Outcomes in Uzbekistan," EconStor Preprints 338885, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Muhammad Ishaque & Jack Hazerjian & Mohamad Ibrahim Brooks & Tabinda Sarosh & Madiha Latif & Maisam Ali, 2025. "The Effect of Offspring Gender Composition on Modern Contraceptive Uptake Among Married Women of Reproductive Age in Pakistan: A Facility-Based Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(1), pages 1-10, January.
    5. Ashok, Sumeet & Mughal, Mazhar & Javed, Rashid, 2024. "Mother’s age at marriage and gender-differential in child schooling: Evidence from Pakistan," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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