Gender Preferences for Children in Europe

Karsten Hank and Hans-Peter Kohler
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Karsten Hank: Universität zu Köln
Hans-Peter Kohler: University of Pennsylvania

Demographic Research, 2000, vol. 2, issue 1

Abstract: Gender preferences may have substantial implications for a couple’s fertility behavior. However, there is only limited empirical research investigating this subject in modern Western societies. In this paper, data from the Fertility and Family Surveys are used to compare 17 European countries with respect to their gender preferences for children. Despite substantial regional heterogeneity across Europe, our results show a strong tendency towards a preference for a mixed sex composition (if there is any preference at all). However, we found some unexpected indication for a girl preference in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Portugal. Because socioeconomic conditions and family policies, which are important factors in explaining different fertility levels, are not related to a specific gender of children, we argue that cultural factors are of major importance for different gender preferences.

Keywords: fertility; gender preferences; cross-national research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2000
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (38)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:2:y:2000:i:1

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2000.2.1

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