Son Preference in a Rural Village in North Vietnam
Author(s)
Belanger, Daniele
Abstract
In recent years, continuing son preference in some Asian countries experiencing declining fertility and socioeconomic development has been the subject of growing scholarly and political concern. The clash between a low demand for children and a high demand for sons has been argued not only to increase son preference but also to increase discrimination against daughters. Although demographers have measured the effect of son preference on fertility and contraceptive behavior for several decades, recent work focuses on how parents achieve both low fertility and the production of sons. Research has indicated that sex-selective abortions of female fetuses and the neglect of daughters (leading to higher mortality for girls than boys) are important strategies that couples use to reach their desired sex composition of children while limiting family size. Other research focuses on the differential treatment of boys and girls that may result from a preference for male children. Reasons for the continuing strong preference for sons in the context of declining and low fertility need to be more fully investigated, however. Studies of gender and its relationship to demographic change have indicated that, in general, enhancing women’s position in the family and society is important for fostering demographic change. In contrast, the effects of demographic change on gender-based attitudes remain relatively unknown. The continuing son preference in Asia raises questions about the assumption that low fertility has the potential to enhance gender equality, particularly among children.
