Preference for Boys and Length of Birth Intervals in Pakistan

Préférence pour les garçons et durée des intervalles de naissance au Pakistan

Rashid Javed and Mazhar Mughal

Working Papers from HAL

Abstract: Son preference prevails widely in South and East Asia and is demonstrated by sex-selection methods such as differential stopping and sex-selective abortion. Differential birth-spacing is another possible way by which this disproportionate desire for sons could manifest itself. The time span before moving on to the next pregnancy may be short as long as sons have not been born. Shorter birth spacing leads to higher demand on the mother's body, leading to higher health risk to both mother and child. In addition there is greater competition among siblings for parental care and resources. In this study, we examine this phenomenon by using three demographic and health surveys of Pakistani households covering the period from 1990-91 to 2012-13 and carrying out a set of duration model estimations. We investigate if and how preference for sons affects birth-spacing, if this relationship has evolved over time, if it depends on the order, number or overall proportion of sons born,and whether it increases the probability of risky births (those less than 24 or 18 months from the previous birth). We gauge the type of households in which this phenomenon appears to be more prevalent. We find strong evidence for differential behaviour at early parities throughout the period. 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. Sex of the firstborn is another significant factor. The association seems to have undergone little significant change over the past two decades. Besides, the likelihood of risky births is higher among women without one or more sons. This phenomenon of gender-specific lengthy and risky birth intervals is prevalent more among households that are wealthier or nuclear and among women with greater say in intra-household decisions.

Keywords: Birth spacing; Gender bias; Pakistan; Risky birth; Son preference; Survival analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-04-18
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-sea
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02293629v2
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Journal Article: Preference for boys and length of birth intervals in Pakistan (2020)
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