TY - JOUR
T1 - Contraceptive use in Matlab, Bangladesh
T2 - the role of gender preference
AU - Rahman, M.
AU - Akbar, J.
AU - Phillips, J. F.
AU - Becker, S.
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - Research in several Asian societies has suggested that sons are generally preferred over daughters. The implications of gender preferences for actual fertility behavior have not been adequately investigated, however. This analysis examines the effect of the sex composition of surviving children on the acceptance and discontinuation of contraception in a sample of 3145 women in Matlab, Bangladesh, who were observed for 60 months. Hazards regression analyses are employed in the analysis. Strong and highly significant effects of gender preference on contraceptive use are observed. The preference is not monotonically son-biased but is moderated towards a balanced composition, because parents desire to have several sons and at least one daughter. These findings suggest that gender preferences, particularly a preference for sons, represent a significant barrier to fertility regulation in rural Bangladesh. -Authors
AB - Research in several Asian societies has suggested that sons are generally preferred over daughters. The implications of gender preferences for actual fertility behavior have not been adequately investigated, however. This analysis examines the effect of the sex composition of surviving children on the acceptance and discontinuation of contraception in a sample of 3145 women in Matlab, Bangladesh, who were observed for 60 months. Hazards regression analyses are employed in the analysis. Strong and highly significant effects of gender preference on contraceptive use are observed. The preference is not monotonically son-biased but is moderated towards a balanced composition, because parents desire to have several sons and at least one daughter. These findings suggest that gender preferences, particularly a preference for sons, represent a significant barrier to fertility regulation in rural Bangladesh. -Authors
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U2 - 10.2307/1966885
DO - 10.2307/1966885
M3 - Article
C2 - 1412596
AN - SCOPUS:0027009426
SN - 0039-3665
VL - 23
SP - 229
EP - 242
JO - Studies in family planning
JF - Studies in family planning
IS - 4
ER -