Why Does Son Preference Persist? Flashcards
why does son preference exist? (6)
1) patrilocality
2) old age support
3) dowry system
4) patrilineality
5) role of sons
6) female safety
define ‘patrilocality’
where married couple live near or with husbands parents
patilocality - ebenstein (2014)
shows male-to-female sex ratio positively correlated with rate of co-residence between adult sons and their parents
patrilocality - dyson and moore (1983)
in india, northern region has stronger patrilocal system than south
- leading explanation for gender inequality more pronounced in north
patrilocality - chakraborty and kim (2010)
1901 indian census finds sex ratio less male skewed in south
how does patrilocality affect son preference?
- invest disproportionately in bots
- with limited resources, more likely to invest in child with higher returns
patrilocality - ramakrishnan et al (2011)
more likely to seek medical care for sick son than daughter
- 405 parents in india advised child needed surgery to correct heart condition
- followed up one year later, 70% boys and 44% girls had surgery
why does old age support son preference
sons traditionally provide old age support for parents
old age support - ebenstein and leung (2010)
chinese government instituted rural old age pension pregram so parents had better substitute for old age support from sons so desire to have sons should be abated
where is dowry system still prevalent
india
- prospect of paying dowry leads parents to wanting sons
define ‘patrilineality’
names and property pass through male decsendants
why does patrilineality lead to son preference
traditionally, widows rely on sons for holding onto family property and maintain standard of living
patrilineality in india
hindu succession act 1956
- sons shared right to inherit ancestral property
1980s/1990s
- law amended in 4 states to make daughters status equal to sons
patrilineality in india - deininger et al (2013)
- before reforms, 8% daughters inherited land
- after reforms, increased to 16%
- womens age of marriage rose, consistent with having more bargaining
power/financial independence - girls schooling increased
patrilineality in india - how have legal reforms had negative consequences
anderson and genicot (2014)
- led to rise in suicides
what is role of sons
in certain belief systems, sons play special role
- confucianism encourages patrilineal and patrilocal system as there is special role of sons in the rituals
- in hindu societies, son lights funeral pyre and bring dead to salvation
- son preference mentioned in vedas, ancient hindu texts
role of sons in confucianism rituals
ancestor worship
role of sons - mandelbaum (1970)
hindu kinship norms adhered to more strictly among upper castes than lower castes
role of sons - chakraborty and kim (2010)
1901 indian census, more skewed sex ratio for upper castes than lower castes
how does female safety affect son preference
concern for womens safety and ‘purity’ constrains physical mobility
female safety - buss (1989)
cross country study of mate preferences
1) india, china, indonesia, taiwan and iran
- men put more weight on spouse’s sexual inexperience at marriage than on physical appearance
2) 24 european, north american, south american, sub-saharan african countries studied
- men prioritise physical appearance over sexual inexperience
female safety - burde and linden (2013)
schools nearby reduces gender gap in afghanistan
female safety - muralidharan and prakash (2013)
giving bikes to girls increases school attendance
female safety - kim et al (1999)
subsidised creation of neighbourhood private schools to meet parents demand for single sex schools for their daughters which saw increased school enrolment
female safety - adukia (2014)
construction of sex-segregated school toilets boosted adolescent girls’ enrolment in india
female safety - field and ambrus (2008)
estimate in bangladesh, for every year an adolescent girls marriage is delayed, she completes additional 0.22 years of schooling
