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Gender of children and contraceptive use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Vijaya Krishnan
Vijaya Krishnan
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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Summary

In 1984, half of married/cohabiting Canadian women aged 18–49 years were using contraception, with sterilisation being the most prevalent method. This study, using data from the 1984 Canadian Fertility Survey of 5315 women aged 18–49 years, found that there was a preference for sons. Women with two sons are more likely to use contraception than those who have had two daughters; the gender of children may have a weak effect on contraceptive behaviour of Canadian couples at higher parities. Sociocultural factors (e.g. education, religion, religiosity) were also found to influence contraceptive behaviour.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , April 1993 , pp. 213 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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