Son Preference, Fertility and Family Structure : Evidence from Reproductive Behavior among Nigerian Women
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World Bank, Washington, DC
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Strong boy-bias and its consequences for
young and unborn girls have been widely documented for Asia.
This paper considers a country in Sub-Saharan Africa and
finds that parental gender preferences do affect fertility
behavior and shape traditional social institutions with
negative effects on adult women's health and
well-being. Using individual-level data for Nigeria, the
paper shows that, compared to women with first-born sons,
women with first-born daughters have (and desire) more
children and are less likely to use contraceptives. Women
with daughters among earlier-born children are also more
likely to have shorter birth intervals, a behavior medically
known to increase the risk of child and maternal mortality.
Moreover, they are more likely to end up in a polygynous
union, to be divorced, and to be head of the household. The
preference for sons is also supported by child fostering
patterns in which daughters are substitutes for foster
girls, while the same does not hold for sons and foster
boys. These results can partly explain excess female
mortality among adult women in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Palabras clave
ADULT MORTALITY, ADULTS, AGED, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, BIOLOGICAL CHILD, BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN, BIOLOGICAL FATHERS, BIRTH SPACING, BREASTFEEDING, CHILD BIRTH, CHILD CARE, CHILD DEATH, CHILD HEALTH, CHILD LABOR, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILDBIRTH, CHILDLESSNESS, COMPLICATIONS, CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD, CONTRACEPTIVE USE, CONTRACEPTIVES, CONTROL OVER RESOURCES, CUSTODY, CUSTOMARY LAW, DECEASED HUSBAND, DEMOGRAPHERS, DESCENT, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DISPARITIES IN HEALTH, DIVORCE, DOMESTIC CHORES, DRINKING WATER, DYING, EFFECTS OF GENDER, EITHER SEX, EQUALITY, ETHNIC GROUPS, EXCESS MORTALITY, EXTENDED FAMILY, FAMILIES, FAMILY HEALTH, FAMILY INCOME, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY SIZE, FAMILY STRUCTURE, FAMILY STRUCTURES, FAMILY TIES, FATHER, FATHERS, FEMALE, FEMALE CHILDREN, FEMALE EDUCATION, FEMALE MORTALITY, FEMALES, FERTILITY, FERTILITY BEHAVIOR, FERTILITY PREFERENCES, FERTILITY RATE, FETAL GROWTH, FEWER CHILDREN, FIRST BIRTH, FIRST BIRTHS, FIRST CHILD, FIRST MARRIAGE, FIRST PREGNANCY, GENDER BIAS, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GENDER DISPARITIES, GENDER PREFERENCES, GIRL CHILDREN, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE SERVICES, HEALTH FACILITIES, HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH STATUS OF MOTHERS, HIV/AIDS, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUSBAND, HUSBANDS, IMMIGRANTS, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATES, INFANTICIDE, INFERTILITY, INHERITANCE, INHERITANCE RIGHTS, INSURANCE, INTERVAL BETWEEN BIRTHS, ISLAMIC LAW, KINSHIP, LAND OWNERSHIP, LIFETIME RISK, LIVE BIRTHS, LOWER FERTILITY, MALE CONDOM, MALE RELATIVES, MARITAL STATUS, MARRIAGE AGE, MARRIAGES, MARRIED MEN, MARRIED WOMEN, MATERNAL CARE, MATERNAL DEATH, MATERNAL DEATHS, MATERNAL HEALTH, MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, MATERNAL MORTALITY, METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION, MODERNIZATION, MOTHER, NO MORE CHILDREN, NUMBER OF BIRTHS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, NUMBER OF DEATHS, NUMBER OF GIRLS, NUTRITIONAL STATUS, OLDER WOMEN, OPPOSITE SEX, ORPHANS, OWNERSHIP OF LAND, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT, PARENTS, PILLS, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLYGYNY, PREFERENCE FOR SONS, PREGNANCIES, PREGNANCY, PREGNANT WOMEN, PROGRESS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, PUBLIC SERVICES, RELIGIOUS PRACTICES, REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR, REPRODUCTIVE GOAL, REPRODUCTIVE YEARS, RESIDENCE, RESPECT, RHYTHM METHOD, RISK OF DEATH, RURAL AREAS, SCHOOLS, SEX, SEX OF THE FETUS, SEX RATIO, SEX RATIOS, SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION, SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, SOCIAL PRESSURE, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, SON PREFERENCE, SPOUSES, TRADITIONAL PRACTICE, UNEDUCATED WOMEN, URBAN AREAS, USE OF CONTRACEPTION, USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES, WIDOWS, WIFE, WILL, WIVES, WOMAN, WOMEN'S HEALTH, YOUNG AGES, YOUNGER WOMEN