Nepali women are significantly more likely to end their childbearing after having a son than after having a daughter, according to "Impact and Determinants of Sex Preference in Nepal," by Tiziana Leone formerly of the University of Southampton, et al. In addition, women whose children are all girls are much less likely than other mothers to use contraceptives, and couples eager to have a son allow less time between births. These findings suggest that a preference for sons leads couples have more children, and to space their births closer together, than they otherwise would.
Because the average family size in Nepal remains high, most couples have had at least one son by the time they reach their desired family size. Thus, the impact of son preference on contraceptive use and fertility is currently moderate. The authors estimate, however, that son preference decreases contraceptive use by 24% and increases the country's total fertility rate by 6%. Because couples who want fewer children are less likely to already have a son when they reach their desired family size, son preference may become a more substantial barrier to contraceptive use as Nepal's desired family size continues to fall.
"This study from Nepal underscores the gender bias in childbearing already documented in other Asian countries," says Sara Seims, president and CEO of The Alan Guttmacher Institute. "Families are having more children than they ideally want in order to ensure they have sons. Since population trend projections assume that fertility in Asian countries will continue to decline, it is particularly important to consider the effects of son preference on contraceptive and childbearing decision-making."
"Impact and Determinants of Sex Preference in Nepal" is based on an analysis of 1996 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey data and appears in the June 2003 issue of International Family Planning Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal published by The Alan Guttmacher Institute.
Also in this issue:
"Women's Networks and the Social World of Fertility Behavior," by Sangeetha Madhavan, University of theWitwatersrand, South Africa; Alayne Adams, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, New York; and Dominique Simon, Health and Addictions Research, Boston, MA.
"The Link Between Quality of Care and Contraceptive Use," by Saumya RamaRao, Marilou Costello, and Heidi Jones, Population Council, New York; and Marlina Lacuesta and Blesilda Pangolibay, Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines.
"Knowledge and Perception of Emergency Contraception Among Female Nigerian Undergraduates," by Michael E. Aziken, Patrick I. Okonta and Adedapo B. A. Ande, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.