Gender preference and birthspacing in Matlab, Bangladesh
Gender preference, particularly son preference, is believed to sustain high fertility in many Asian countries, but previous research shows unclear effects. The authors examine and compare gender-preference effects on fertility in two otherwise comparable populations in Bangladesh that differ markedly in their access to and use of contraception. The authors expect, and find, stronger effects of gender preference in the population that has more access to contraception and higher levels of contraceptive use. Thus, gender preference may emerge as a significant barrier to further national family planning program efforts in Bangladesh. The authors find that if a woman has at least one daughter, the risk of a subsequent birth is negatively related to the number of sons. Women with no daughters also experience a higher risk of having a subsequent birth, suggesting that there is also some preference for daughters. Son preference is strong in the early and late stages of family formation, but women also want to have at least one daughter after having several sons.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation Draft series. The unrestricted draft was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1993 to 2003 that represented preliminary or prepublication versions of other more formal RAND products for distribution to appropriate external audiences. The draft could be considered similar to an academic discussion paper. Although unrestricted drafts had been approved for circulation, they were not usually formally edited or peer reviewed.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.