‘Too many girls, too much dowry’: son preference and daughter aversion in rural Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has experienced a dramatic decline in fertility, accompanied by a trend of increased son preference. This paper reports on findings from qualitative interviews with women in rural villages about their fertility decision-making. Specifically addressed are the reasons behind increasing son preference and the consequences of this change. Findings suggest that daughter aversion, fuelled primarily by the perceived economic burden of daughters due to the proliferation of dowry, is playing a larger role in fertility decision-making than son preference. The desire for a son is often trumped by the worry over having many daughters. Women use various means of controlling the sex of their children, which in this study appear to be primarily female infanticide. It is important to distinguish between son preference and daughter aversion and to examine repercussions of low fertility within this setting.

The relationship between women's paid employment and women's stated son preference in India

“…Daughters are often perceived to be an economic burden on their families because of the high costs of dowry (Diamond-Smith, Luke, and McGarvey 2008). Although the dowry system is illegal, dowry continues to be widely practiced throughout India (Srinivasan and Lee 2004).…”

Dowry practices and their negative consequences from a female perspective in Karachi, Pakistan <br>—A qualitative study

“…Parents want to give the best dowry for their daughters, within their means. The claim that parents are giving dowry to better the future of their daughters correlates with findings of studies in Bangladesh and India that describe dowry as a symbol of prestige for a family and something that can improve the wife's security in the husband's home [5,9].…”

“…Therefore, in-laws may have high expectations and demands thereof. A trend of "dowry inflation" has been described in numerous papers [4][5][6][7][8]. This inflation places an increased burden on families with daughters, as the modern day dowry payments can amount to even more than the annual income of a household [4,8].…”

“…Due to this inflation, the financial burden of dowry is increasing and can negatively affect families' desire for having a female child. Families with daughters often feel obliged to provide dowries with their daughters to protect their wellbeing in the new family, to defend them from hardship and violence from the hands of the in-laws [5].…”

“…The most common form of dowry is considered to be pre-mortem inheritance, also serve as a form of insurance, as the husband is expected to repay the dowry to his wife [3]. A trend of dowry "inflation" has been described in India and other countries in recent years [4][5][6][7][8]. Due to this inflation, the financial burden of dowry is increasing and can negatively affect families' desire for having a female child.…”