The short- and long-term implications for parent-child relations of parents' prenatal preferences for their child's gender.

Abstract

This study investigated whether less conflicted parent-child relations would occur in families with a child whose sex was consistent with parents' prenatal preferences than in families in which both of the parents had wanted a child of the opposite sex. Data were from a sample of Swedish children (TV = 212) who were followed from birth to maturity. Results at several age periods from early childhood to late adolescence supported our hypothesis, especially for female subjects and particularly with respect to father-daughter relations. Retrospective recollections at age 25 of relations to parents during upbringing support these findings. In addition, mothers' perceptions of problems in their children and the amount of time parents played with their children were found to be associated with the stated prenatal preference for the child's sex. The results are compared with findings of previous studies of sex-stereotyped behaviors.In the past decade, developmental research has begun to explore systematically how characteristics of parents, prior to the birth of their children, affect their subsequent roles as father, mother, and caretakers and how these characteristics affect the newborn's development (

Resident Fathers’ Pregnancy Intentions, Prenatal Behaviors, and Links to Involvement With Infants

“…The lack of gender differentials in other aspects of father involvement is consistent with prior research that has suggested that gender differences may not occur for very young children (Updegraff, McHale, Crouter, & Kupanoff, 2001). Other research has suggested that child gender in and of itself is not predictive of subsequent involvement; rather, involvement varies according to whether the child’s gender is consistent with parents’ prenatal preferences for either a male or a female child (Stattin & Klackenberg‐Larsson, 1991).…”

Crime Prevention and Community Safety: A Conceptual Overview

“…Cognitive deficits of all kinds are associated with criminal behaviour. Longitudinal studies such as those done by Moffitt (1990, as cited in Tremblay & Craig, 1995), Farrington (1991, as cited in Tremblay & Craig, 1995), and Stattin and Klackenberg-Larsson (1991 have shown that preschoolers and elementary school children's cognitive deficits predict later criminal behaviour. Most of the studies highlighted by Tremblay and Craig (1995) confirm that interventions (such as daycare participation, special learning opportunities, or social skills training), which focus on stimulating cognitive development, must begin at an early age in order to have a significant impact.…”

Marital quality and gender differences in parent-child interaction.

“…Although both mothers and fathers encourage sex-typed activities and characteristics in their children, fathers more consistently differentiate their children on the basis of gender (Lytton & Romney, 1991; see Siegel, 1987, for a review). In addition, fathers tend to be more involved and interested in the parenting of sons (Margolin & Patterson, 1975; Stattin & Klackenberg-Larsson, 1991).…”