Female Early Marriage and Son Preference in Pakistan

Mazhar Mughal, Rashid Javed and Thierry Lorey

EconStor Preprints from ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Abstract: In this study, we employ pooled data from four rounds of Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) to examine whether, and to what extent, does the incidence of early marriage shape the married women's perspectives on gender preference associated with reproduction. We employ a number of econometric techniques (Probit, OLS, Cox Hazard Model, IV Probit and treatment effects) and a large set of model specifications, and find significant evidence supporting the role of early marriage in perpetuating disproportionate preference for boys. Women who married before turning 18 not only state a greater desire for boys but are also less likely to stop reproduction as long as they do not have a boy. Early-age marriage is associated with 7.7 - 12.5% higher incidence of fertility discontinuation among women without a son. This son-preferring behaviour is stronger at higher birth order and also reflects in differential spacing patterns. Women's education appears to be the strongest channel through which these effects are mediated. The divergence between early- and late-marrying women appears to have sharpened over time. The findings of this study underscore the role played by early marriage in altering the gender-specific attitudes prevalent in the society, and highlight existing gender inequality traps.

Keywords: Child marriage; Age at marriage; gender bias; son preference; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C13 D13 J13 O15 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-des and nep-dev
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Female Early Marriage and Son Preference in Pakistan (2023)
Working Paper: Female Early Marriage and Son Preference in Pakistan (2023)
Working Paper: Female Early Marriage and Son Preference in Pakistan (2023)
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