Bouncing baby boys, but crying baby girls

Assessing the socio-demographic impacts on male child preference in South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Sex preference is a social phenomenon that has continued to persist even amidst modernization. As a result, it has been studied across disciplines due to its social and demographic suggestions.

Objective: The study examined the impacts of socio-demographic factors on male child preference in South Eastern Nigeria.

Method: The study adopted a cross sectional questionnaire-based quantitative research method of data collection and analysis.

Result: The study demonstrated a developing inclination for male children compared to females among female parents (M=2.74, SD=1.39) than male parents (M=1.38, SD=0.49) resulting from the desire to maintain their marital status. We found that the major characteristics of the respondents that impacted on sex preference are: education, age, religion, and area of residence. Findings also showed a correlation between family size and social mobility. We also found that acquisition of higher levels of education influences the preferences for the sex of a child.

Unique contribution: We found a growing inclination for preference of male children over female children among female parents as against what is found in scholarly literatures where the opposite were reported.

Conclusion: Although, there is a growing preference for male child among women, this preference is not born out of the need for lineage perpetuation, as is the case with men, but for the purposes of status enhancement and maintenance.

Key recommendation: There has to be renewed encouragement of people to achieve a few level of education as this will help to inculcate the idea that every sex is equally important in the society.