Preferences for sex of children in Thailand: a comparison of husbands' and wives' attitudes
Knodel, J.; Prachuabmoh, V.
Studies in Family Planning 7(5): 137-143
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 936263 DOI: 10.2307/1964858Document Number: 336370
Findings on sex preference for children from a Thai national survey show substantial differences for men and women. Married women appear to have a weak or moderate preference for sons, coexisting with a desire to have at least one child of each sex. Their husbands' preference for sons is noticeably more pronounced. Son preference is strongest among urban ethnic Chinese men but is also substantial among ethnic Thai men. There is also some evidence that men like to have at least one daughter. The contrasting patterns of sex preferences found for men and women in Thailand suggest that results can be misleading if studies of sex preferences for children are based exclusively on samples of married women.