Why Does Son Preference Persist?

Question 1

why does son preference exist? (6)

Answer 1

1) patrilocality
2) old age support
3) dowry system
4) patrilineality
5) role of sons
6) female safety

Question 2

define ‘patrilocality’

Answer 2

where married couple live near or with husbands parents

Question 3

patilocality - ebenstein (2014)

Answer 3

shows male-to-female sex ratio positively correlated with rate of co-residence between adult sons and their parents

Question 4

patrilocality - dyson and moore (1983)

Answer 4

in india, northern region has stronger patrilocal system than south
- leading explanation for gender inequality more pronounced in north

Question 5

patrilocality - chakraborty and kim (2010)

Answer 5

1901 indian census finds sex ratio less male skewed in south

Question 6

how does patrilocality affect son preference?

Answer 6

• invest disproportionately in bots
• with limited resources, more likely to invest in child with higher returns

Question 7

patrilocality - ramakrishnan et al (2011)

Answer 7

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

Question 8

why does old age support son preference

Answer 8

sons traditionally provide old age support for parents

Question 9

old age support - ebenstein and leung (2010)

Answer 9

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

Question 10

where is dowry system still prevalent

Answer 10

india
- prospect of paying dowry leads parents to wanting sons

Question 11

define ‘patrilineality’

Answer 11

names and property pass through male decsendants

Question 12

why does patrilineality lead to son preference

Answer 12

traditionally, widows rely on sons for holding onto family property and maintain standard of living

Question 13

patrilineality in india

Answer 13

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

Question 14

patrilineality in india - deininger et al (2013)

Answer 14

• 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

Question 15

patrilineality in india - how have legal reforms had negative consequences

Answer 15

anderson and genicot (2014)
- led to rise in suicides

Question 16

what is role of sons

Answer 16

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

Question 17

role of sons in confucianism rituals

Answer 17

ancestor worship

Question 18

role of sons - mandelbaum (1970)

Answer 18

hindu kinship norms adhered to more strictly among upper castes than lower castes

Question 19

role of sons - chakraborty and kim (2010)

Answer 19

1901 indian census, more skewed sex ratio for upper castes than lower castes

Question 20

how does female safety affect son preference

Answer 20

concern for womens safety and ‘purity’ constrains physical mobility

Question 21

female safety - buss (1989)

Answer 21

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

Question 22

female safety - burde and linden (2013)

Answer 22

schools nearby reduces gender gap in afghanistan

Question 23

female safety - muralidharan and prakash (2013)

Answer 23

giving bikes to girls increases school attendance

Question 24

female safety - kim et al (1999)

Answer 24

subsidised creation of neighbourhood private schools to meet parents demand for single sex schools for their daughters which saw increased school enrolment

Question 25

female safety - adukia (2014)

Answer 25

construction of sex-segregated school toilets boosted adolescent girls’ enrolment in india

Question 26

female safety - field and ambrus (2008)

Answer 26

estimate in bangladesh, for every year an adolescent girls marriage is delayed, she completes additional 0.22 years of schooling