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Isolating a Culture of Son Preference Among Armenian, Georgian, and Azeri Parents in Soviet-Era Russia

Author

Listed:
  • Matthias Schief
  • Sonja Vogt
  • Elena Churilova
  • Charles Efferson

Abstract

This paper analyzes historical census data from the final Soviet census in 1989. We find that, even in the absence of sex-selective abortions, the fertility decisions of Armenian, Georgian, and Azeri parents living in Russia in the late 1970s and the 1980s were significantly more son-biased than those of other ethnic groups in Russia. This finding suggests that the observed increase in the sex ratio at birth in the Caucasus since the end of the Soviet Union at least partially reflects a deep-rooted cultural preference for sons. Moreover, this result supports one of the key hypotheses of gene-culture coevolution, namely the claim that cultural evolutionary processes can shape selection on the basic components of genetic fitness.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Schief & Sonja Vogt & Elena Churilova & Charles Efferson, 2023. "Isolating a Culture of Son Preference Among Armenian, Georgian, and Azeri Parents in Soviet-Era Russia," CESifo Working Paper Series 10516, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_10516
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alessandra Fogli & Raquel Fernandez, 2009. "Culture: An Empirical Investigation of Beliefs, Work, and Fertility," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(1), pages 146-177, January.
    2. Douglas Almond & Lena Edlund & Kevin Milligan, 2013. "Son Preference and the Persistence of Culture: Evidence from South and East Asian Immigrants to Canada," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 39(1), pages 75-95, March.
    3. Géraldine Duthé & France Meslé & Jacques Vallin & Irina Badurashvili & Karine Kuyumjyan, 2012. "High Sex Ratios at Birth in the Caucasus: Modern Technology to Satisfy Old Desires," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 38(3), pages 487-501, September.
    4. Christophe Z. Guilmoto, 2009. "The Sex Ratio Transition in Asia," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 519-549, September.
    5. Cecile Lefevre & Sophie Hohmann & Michel Garenne, 2014. "A framework for analyzing sex-selective abortion: the example of changing sex ratios in Southern Caucasus," Post-Print hal-01488773, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    son preference; sex ratio; sex-selective abortions; historical census data; Caucasus; gene-culture coevolution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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