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Preference for boys and length of birth intervals in Pakistan

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  • Javed, Rashid
  • Mughal, Mazhar

Abstract

A potential manifestation of son preference prevalent in Asia is gender-specific birth-spacing. The time couples wait before moving on to subsequent pregnancy remains short as long as desired number of sons are not born, leading to higher demand on the mother's body and greater health risks for mother and child. In this study, we examine this phenomenon using three representative surveys of Pakistani households and duration model estimators. We find strong evidence for differential behavior at early parities. Women whose first or second children are sons have significantly longer subsequent birth intervals compared with women with no sons. Birth-spacing differs substantially by parity and number of children. The association seems to have undergone little significant change over the past two decades. Besides, the likelihood of risky births (i.e. those occuring less than 24 or 18 months from the previous birth) is higher among women without one or more sons.

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  • Javed, Rashid & Mughal, Mazhar, 2020. "Preference for boys and length of birth intervals in Pakistan," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 140-152.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reecon:v:74:y:2020:i:2:p:140-152
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rie.2020.04.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Javed, Rashid & Mughal, Mazhar, 2019. "Son preference and within-household bargaining position of Pakistani women," EconStor Research Reports 213865, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    2. Mazhar Mughal & Rashid Javed & Thierry Lorey, 2023. "Female Early Marriage and Son Preference in Pakistan," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(10), pages 1549-1569, October.
    3. Rashid Javed & Mazhar Mughal, 2022. "Changing patterns of son preference and fertility in Pakistan," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(6), pages 1086-1109, August.
    4. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Mansoor, Nazia & Randazzo, Teresa & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2021. "Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Ebert, Cara & Vollmer, Sebastian, 2022. "Girls unwanted – The role of parents’ child-specific sex preference for children’s early mental development," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    6. Hoque Nazmul & Boulier Bryan L., 2020. "Hi-tech Sexism? Evidence from Bangladesh," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(3), pages 1-39, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Birth spacing; Gender bias; Pakistan; Risky birth; Son preference; Survival analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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