The Value of Daughters and sons: A comparative Study of the Gender Preferences of Parents

Abstract

Data from the Value of Children Study are analyzed to examine preferences for sons in seven Asian Countries and the United States. Boy preference was found to be weak in the Philippines and Indonesia (countries which share a common Malayo-Polynesian background) and in the United States. In Korea and Taiwan (countries with Confucianist the preference for sons was both strong and pervasive. Intermediate levels of boy preference were observed in Turkey, Thailand, and Singapore. Even in countries in which sex preference is not prominent, sons and daughters are expected to play different roles and serve different functions for their parents. A model of the determinants of sex preference is developed and tested using multiple classification analysis. The results indicate that sex preferences for children are determined more by cultural traditions and random biological processed than by the general level of development of a country or individual differences in backgrounds or life styles.

Heterosexual, Lesbian, and Gay Preadoptive Parents’ Preferences About Child Gender

“…Consistent with prior research, heterosexual men who desired girls often cited their desire for a particular type of relationship with a daughter (Hammer and McFerran 1988) and also described various attributes of daughters (e.g., cute, nondestructive; Arnold and Kuo 1984;Williamson 1976). Also consistent with prior research, men who desired boys often emphasized their own orientation toward masculine activities and interests (Pollard and Morgan 2002;Williamson 1976).…”

“…Also consistent with prior research, men who desired boys often emphasized their own orientation toward masculine activities and interests (Pollard and Morgan 2002;Williamson 1976). Heterosexual men's most common reason for preferring boys, however, was the desire to carry on the family name (Arnold and Kuo 1984) and their desire for their "first born" to be male, suggesting that, for a minority of men, sons continue to be valued as signifiers of masculinity (Katzev et al 1994;Williamson 1976). Thus, although most heterosexual men had no gender preferences or desired girls, those men who desired boys were sometimes motivated by very traditional concerns: namely, the extent to which their son would be a symbol of status (Hammer and McFerran 1988).…”

“…Boys are often valued because they will carry on the family name, particularly in traditional societies (Arnold and Kuo 1984;Callan and Kee 1981). Sons are also valued for their ability to assist with male tasks around the house, and for more psychologically oriented reasons such as their capacity to provide companionship (Callan and Kee 1981) particularly to fathers (Arnold and Kuo 1984). Girls are sometimes preferred because they are presumed to embody characteristics such as neatness, cuteness, and helpfulness (Arnold and Kuo 1984;Williamson 1976); girls are also expected to provide companionship (Callan and Kee 1981).…”

“…Boys are often valued because they will carry on the family name, particularly in traditional societies (Arnold and Kuo 1984;Callan and Kee 1981). Sons are also valued for their ability to assist with male tasks around the house, and for more psychologically oriented reasons such as their capacity to provide companionship (Callan and Kee 1981) particularly to fathers (Arnold and Kuo 1984).…”

“…Sons are also valued for their ability to assist with male tasks around the house, and for more psychologically oriented reasons such as their capacity to provide companionship (Callan and Kee 1981) particularly to fathers (Arnold and Kuo 1984). Girls are sometimes preferred because they are presumed to embody characteristics such as neatness, cuteness, and helpfulness (Arnold and Kuo 1984;Williamson 1976); girls are also expected to provide companionship (Callan and Kee 1981). As Hank and Kohler (2003) argue, since in industrialized societies children no longer provide economic utility but have become a source of time and monetary investment, they are increasingly valued for social-psychological reasons such as expansion of the self, affiliation, and accomplishment.…”