Parental preference for sons and daughters in a western industrial setting: Evidence and implications

Journal of Biosocial Science

Volumn 39, Issue 4, 2007, Pages 583-597

  Kippen, Rebecca ^a   Evans, Ann ^a   Gray, Edith ^a  

^a AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; AUSTRALIA; BIRTH; CONTROLLED STUDY; DAUGHTER; FAMILY; FEMALE; FEMALE FERTILITY; HUMAN; INDUSTRIALIZATION; PARENTAL ATTITUDE; PARITY; POPULATION RESEARCH; SEX DIFFERENCE;

ADULT; AUSTRALIA; BIRTH RATE; CENSUSES; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS; FEMALE; HUMANS; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES; MOTHERS; NUCLEAR FAMILY; PERSONAL SATISFACTION; SEX DISTRIBUTION; SEX PRESELECTION;

EID: 34249311936     PISSN: 00219320     EISSN: 14697599     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S0021932006001477     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. Andersson, G., Hank, K., Rønsen, M. & Vikat, A. (2004) Gendering the family composition: sex preferences for children and childbearing behavior in the Nordic countries. Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) Working Paper 2004-019, Rostock, Germany.
2. Andrews, L. B. (1999) The Clone Age: Adventures in the New World of Reproductive Technology. Henry Holt and Company, New York.
3. Arnold, F., Bulatao, R. A., Buripakti, C., Chung, B. J., Fawcett, J. T., Iritani, T. et al. (1975) The Value of Children: A Cross-National Study. Introduction and Comparative Analysis. East-West Population Institute, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.
4. Arnold, F., Choe, M. K. & Roy, T. K. (1998) Son preference, the family-building process and child mortality in India. Population Studies 52, 301-315.
5. Atoh, M., Takahashi, S., Nakano, E., Watanabe, Y., Kojima, H. & Kaneko, R. (1993) Trends in marriage and fertility in Japan: major findings from the Tenth Japanese National Fertility Survey. Journal of Population Problems 49, 27-28.
6. Belkin, L. (1999) Getting the girl. New York Times Magazine 25 July, 26-31, 38, 54-55.
7. Belmont, L. & Marolla, F. A. (1973) Birth order, family size and intelligence. Science 182, 1096-1101.
8. Black, S. E., Devereux, P. J. & Salvanes, K. G. (2005) The more the merrier? The effect of family size and birth order on children's education. Paper presented at the Econometric Society World Congress, London, 19-24th August.
9. Brockmann, H. (2001) Girls preferred? Changing patterns of sex preferences in the two German States. European Sociological Review 17, 189-202.
10. Dahl, E. (2003) Procreative liberty: the case for preconception sex selection. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 7, 380-384.
11. Dahl, E., Hinsch, K., Beutel, M. & Brosig, B. (2003) Preconception sex selection for non-medical reasons: a representative survey from the United Kingdom. Human Reproduction 18, 2238-2239.
12. Dinitz, S., Dynes, R. R. & Clarke, A. C. (1954) Preference for male or female children: traditional or affectational? Marriage and Family Living 16, 128-130.
13. Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (2004) Preconception gender selection for nonmedical reasons. Fertility and Sterility 82, 232-235.
14. Freedman, D. S., Freedman, R. & Whelpton, P. K. (1960) Size of family and preference for children of each sex. American Journal of Sociology 66, 141-146.
15. Graham, M. J., Larsen, U. & Xu, X. (1998) Son preference in Anhui Province, China. International Family Planning Perspectives 24, 72-77.
16. Gray, E. & Evans, A. (2005) Parity progression in Australia: What role does sex of existing children play? Australian Journal of Social Issues 40, 505-520.
17. Hank, K. & Kohler, H. (2000) Gender preferences for children in Europe: empirical results from 17 FFS countries. Demographic Research 2(1).
18. Health Insurance Commission (2004) Medicare Statistical Tables. http://www.hic.gov.au (accessed June 2005).
19. Heyd, D. (2003) Male or female, we will create them. The ethics of sex selection for non-medical reasons. Ethical Perspectives 10, 204-214.
20. Jacobsen, R., Møller, H. & Engholm, G. (1999) Fertility rates in Denmark in relation to the sexes of preceding children in the family. Human Reproduction 14, 1127-1130.
21. Jain, T., Missmer, S. A., Gupta, R. S. & Hornstein, M. D. (2005) Preimplantation sex selection demand and preferences in an infertility population. Fertility and Sterility 83, 649-658.
22. Junhong, C. (2001) Prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion in rural central China. Population and Development Review 27, 259-281.
23. Kahn, H. & Weiner, A. J. (1967) The next thirty-three years: a framework for speculation. Daedalus 96, 705-732.
24. Kaiser, J. (2005) An earlier look at baby's genes. Science 309, 1476-1478.
25. Kalfoglou, A. L., Doksum, T., Bernhardt, B., Gellar, G., Roy, L. L., Mathews, D. J. H. et al. (2005) Opinions about new reproductive genetic technologies: hopes and fears for our genetic future. Fertility and Sterility 83, 1612-1621.
26. Kippen, R. (2003) Trends in age- and parity-specific fertility in Australia. Working Papers in Demography, No. 91. Demography and Sociology Program, Australian National University, Canberra.
27. Kippen, R. (2004) Declines in first- and second-birth rates and their effect on levels of fertility. People and Place 12, 28-37.
28. Kippen, R., Gray, E. & Evans, A. (2005) The impact on Australian fertility of wanting one of each. People and Place 13, 12-21.
29. Laland, K. N., Kumm, J. & Feldman, M. W. (1994) Medical ethics and human reproduction: scientists predict unbalanced future with sex selection. British Medical Journal 308, 536.
30. Langendoen, S. & Proctor, W. (1982) The Preconception Gender Diet. M. Evans, New York.
31. Lyons, L. (2003) Oh Boy: Americans Still Prefer Sons. The Gallup Organization, 23th September.
32. McClelland, G. H. (1979) Determining the impact of sex preferences on fertility: a consideration of parity progression ratio, dominance, and stopping rule measures. Demography 16, 377-388.
33. McDougall, J., DeWit, D. J. & Ebanks, G. E. (1999) Parental preferences for sex of children in Canada. Sex Roles 41, 615-626.
34. Marleau, J. D. & Saucier, J. (2002) Preference for a first-born boy in Western societies. Journal of Biosocial Science 34, 13-27.
35. National Ethics Committee on Assisted Human Reproduction (2004) Guidelines for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in New Zealand: Consultation Document. Ministry of Health, Wellington.
36. National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Health Ethics Committee (2004) Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research. Australian Government, Canberra. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/pdf/e56.pdf (accessed June 2005).
37. Pollard, M. S. & Morgan, S. P. (2002) Emerging parental gender indifference? Sex composition of children and the third birth. American Sociological Review 67, 600-613.
38. Rijnders, R. J. P., Van Der Luijt, R. B., Peters, E. D. J., Goeree, J. K., Van Der Schoot, C. E., Ploos Van Amstel, J. K. & Christiaens, G. C. M. L. (2003) Earliest gestational age for fetal sexing in cell-free maternal plasma. Prenatal Diagnosis 23, 1042-1044.
39. Robertson, J. A. (2001) Preconception gender selection. American Journal of Bioethics 1, 2-9.
40. Robinson, H. P., de Crespigny, L. C., Ngu, A. C., Robertson, A. & Halliday, J. L. (1991) Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling: a safe and reliable procedure. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 31, 18-27.
41. Savulescu, J. (1999) Sex selection: the case for. Medical Journal of Australia 171, 373-375.
42. Sensibaugh, C. C. & Yarub, P. E. (1997) Newlyweds' family formation preferences. Journal of Psychology 131, 530-540.
43. Shettles, L. & Rorvik, D. M. (1996) How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby. Doubleday, New York.
44. Sloane, D. M. & Lee, C. (1983) Sex of previous children and intentions for further births in the United States, 1965-1976. Demography 20, 353-367.
45. Sputa, C. L. & Paulson, S. E. (1995) Birth order and family size: influences on adolescents' achievement and related parenting behaviors. Psychological Reports 76, 1241-1242.
46. Steinberg, B. S. (2001) The making of female presidents and prime ministers: the impact of birth order, sex of siblings, and father-daughter dynamics. Political Psychology 22, 89-110.
47. Swetkis, D., Gilroy, F. D. & Steinbacher, R. J. (2002) Firstborn preference and attitudes toward using sex selection technology. Journal of Genetic Psychology 163, 228-238.
48. Tizzard, J. (2004) Sex selection, child welfare and risk: a critique of the HFEA's recommendations on sex selection. Health Care Analysis 12, 61-68.
49. Williamson, N. E. (1976) Sex preferences, sex control and the status of women. Signs 1, 847-862.
50. Wood, C. H. & Bean, F. D. (1977) Offspring gender and family size: implications from a comparison of Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans. Journal of Marriage and the Family 39, 129-139.
51. Young, C. (1977) Family building differences between same sex and mixed sex families in Australia. Australian Journal of Statistics 19, 83-95.