Son Preference and the Persistence of Culture: Evidence from South and East Asian Immigrants to Canada

Preference for sons over daughters, evident in China's and South Asia's male sex ratios, is commonly rationalized by poverty and the need for old-age support. In this article we study South and East Asian immigrants to Canada, a group for whom the economic imperative to select sons is larg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Population and development review 2013-03, Vol.39 (1), p.75-95
Main Authors: Almond, Douglas, Edlund, Lena, Milligan, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abortion
Asian Cultural Groups
Asians
Boys
Canada
Census
Censuses
Child Sex Preferences
Children
China
Christianity
Cultural influence
Culture
Demographics
East Asia
Economics
Fertility
Gender differentiation
Immigrants
Infanticide
Islam
Males
Muslims
Noncitizens
Parents
Parity
Peoples Republic of China
Poverty
Preferences
Reviews
Sex differences
Sex discrimination
Sex preselection
Sex Ratio
Sons
South Asia
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Summary:Preference for sons over daughters, evident in China's and South Asia's male sex ratios, is commonly rationalized by poverty and the need for old-age support. In this article we study South and East Asian immigrants to Canada, a group for whom the economic imperative to select sons is largely absent. Analyzing the 2001 and 2006 censuses, 20 percent samples, we find clear evidence of extensive sex selection in favor of boys at higher parities among South and East Asian immigrants unless they are Christian or Muslim. The latter finding accords with the explicit prohibition against (female) infanticide—traditionally the main sex-selection method—in these religions. Our findings point to a strong cultural component to both the preference for sons and the willingness to resort to induced abortion based on sex.
ISSN:0098-7921
1728-4457
DOI:10.1111/j.1728-4457.2013.00574.x