Contraceptive use in Matlab, Bangladesh: the role of gender preference
Rahman, M.; Akbar, J.; Phillips, J.F.; Becker, S.
Studies in Family Planning 23(4): 229-242
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 1412596 DOI: 10.2307/1966885Document Number: 343100
Research in several Asian societies has suggested that sons are generally preferred over daughters. However, the implications of gender preferences for actual fertility behaviour have not been adequately investigated. 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, who were observed for 60 months, in Matlab, a rural district in Bangladesh. Hazards regression analyses are employed. Strong and highly significant effects of gender preference on contraceptive use are observed. The preference is not monotonically son-biased but is moderated toward 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.