Preference for Sex of Children Among Women in Nepal

AbstractThe preference for a son at birth is one of the key issues of demographic studies conducted in less-developed countries; however, exploration of preference for sex of children among women in Nepal is rare. This paper estimates the likelihood of preference for a son or a daughter using the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data, which contains a nationally representative sample of 12,862 Nepalese women. A multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that son and daughter preferences vary widely across ethnicities, educational and economic status, and rural-urban region. Regarding ethnic origin, women from theHill Janajati (the largest ethnic minority group that consists of many sub-ethnic groups) prefer daughters more than the top two caste groups, theHill Brahman andChhetri, whereas theTerai Brahman,Terai Dalit,Muslim, and other ethnic minority women prefer sons more than the top two caste groups do. Similarly, less educated, poorer, and rural women prefer a son, unlike more educated, richer, and urban women in general. Women who desire more of either sex end up with more children in their household.
Source: Global Social Welfare - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research