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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Testing for Son Preference in South Africa
Authors:Gangadharan, LataISNI
Maitra, PushkarISNI
Year:2003
Periodical:Journal of African Economies
Volume:12
Issue:3
Period:September
Pages:371-416
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:boys
Indians
sex distribution
fertility
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:https://jae.oxfordjournals.org/content/12/3/371.full.pdf
Abstract:Evidence from many developing countries suggests that parents have a preference for sons over daughters. This has been referred to as son preference. This paper uses individual level unit record data to test the son preference hypothesis in South Africa. It uses an accelerated hazard model to estimate the duration between successive births and the results indicate that son preference exists only for the Indian community in South Africa. Indian households are observed to have a higher duration between children following the birth of a son, irrespective of the number of children they already have. For the rest of the population, there is very little evidence of son preference. Preference for sons could be the result of a combination of factors including religious beliefs and social customs such as the dowry system, lineage and familial and kinship ties. The data set used in the paper is from the 1993 South African Integrated Household Survey. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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