The decline of son preference and rise of gender indifference in Taiwan since 1990

This study explores the change of married women’s sex preference for children in Taiwan since 1990, finding that there was a substantial decline of son preference and rise of “gender indifference”, defined as feeling indifferent about children’s sex (as opposed to desiring an equal number of boys an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Demographic research 2009-04, Vol.20, p.377-402
Main Author: Lin, Tin-chi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Differences
Ambivalence
Attitude surveys
Boys
Child Sex Preferences
Children
Children & youth
Cohort Analysis
Demography
Economic expansion
Economic growth
Education
Educational Attainment
Fertility
Gender
Gender roles
Girls
Health promotion
Health surveys
Historical analysis
Parents & parenting
Preferences
Research Article
Sex
Sex Differences
Sex differentiation
Sex roles
Social history
Society
Socioeconomic status
Sons
Taiwan
Women
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Summary:This study explores the change of married women’s sex preference for children in Taiwan since 1990, finding that there was a substantial decline of son preference and rise of “gender indifference”, defined as feeling indifferent about children’s sex (as opposed to desiring an equal number of boys and girls, in which the sex of children is still a primary consideration). Results show that at the individual level female education was the strongest predictor for the preference; education was negatively associated with son preference and positively with gender indifference. Cohort difference was noticeable as well. Younger cohorts were better educated than older ones hence they were more neutral about the sex and less adherent to the traditional male preference. In addition from 1992 to 2002 there was a universal intra cohort movement toward gender neutrality and away from son preference. When the younger cohorts gradually replaced the older ones as the main child bearers in Taiwanese society, at the aggregate level son preference declined and gender indifference rose.
ISSN:1435-9871
2363-7064
1435-9871
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.16