Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T03:35:37.992Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

IMPACT OF SEX COMPOSITION OF LIVING CHILDREN AND COUPLES’ AGREEMENT ON SUBSEQUENT FERTILITY IN INDIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

Anshul Kastor*
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
Sayantani Chatterjee
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Summary

The desire for children could be considered a reliable predictor of subsequent fertility. At the same time, the sex composition of surviving children, along with other demographic and socioeconomic factors, may affect a couple’s fertility desire and, therefore, their subsequent fertility. This study examined the impact of the sex composition of living children and a couple’s agreement on fertility desire on their subsequent fertility in India using data came from two rounds of nationally representative surveys: the India Human Development Survey (IHDS)-I (2004–05) and IHDS-II (2011–12). To understand which factors affect the chances of an additional pregnancy or childbirth, a random effects logistic regression model was applied to the panel data. It was found that the fertility desires of both marital partners were important in determining the chances of subsequent fertility. About 35% of the couples wanting to limit children had undergone pregnancy or childbirth, while 76% of the couples wanting more children had conceived or given birth to children. In the case of discordance between the spouses, subsequent fertility was found to remain intermediate between those agreeing to continue childbirth and those wanting to limit it. The findings also affirmed that child sex preference, specifically son preference, still persists in Indian society. More than 80% of the couples with only daughters in IHDS-I mutually wanted to have additional children, whereas in families that only had sons, the chance of a subsequent pregnancy was inversely associated with the number of sons. Strong patriarchal settings, combined with cultural and socioeconomic factors, affect the persistence of sex preference in India. Programmes aimed at increasing family planning use need to address son preference and should include components that promote the value of girl children.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bankole, A. (1995) Desired fertility and fertility behaviour among the Yoruba of Nigeria: a study of couple preferences and subsequent fertility. Population Studies 49(2), 317328.Google Scholar
Bankole, A. & Singh, S. (1998) Couples’ fertility and contraceptive decision-making in developing countries: hearing the man’s voice. International Family Planning Perspectives 24(1), 1524.Google Scholar
Bauer, G. & Kneip, T. (2012) Fertility from a couple perspective: a test of competing decision rules on proceptive behaviour. European Sociological Review 29(3), 535548.Google Scholar
Becker, S. (1996) Couples and reproductive health: a review of couple studies. Studies in Family Planning 27(6), 291306.Google Scholar
Bhagat, R. B. (2016) The practice of early marriages among females in India: persistence and change. International Institute for Population Sciences Working Paper No. 10, Mumbai. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/R_Bhagat/publication/294860617_The_Practice_of_Early_Marriages_among_Females_in_India_Persistence_and_Change/links/56c4574f08aea564e304a84f/The-Practice-of-Early-Marriages-among-Females-in-India-Persistence-and-Change.pdf.Google Scholar
Blanc, A. K. (2001) The effect of power in sexual relationships on sexual and reproductive health: an examination of the evidence. Studies in Family Planning 32(3), 189213.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1990) The measurement of wanted fertility. Population and Development Review 16(3), 487506.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (1992) Do reproductive intentions matter? International Family Planning Perspectives 18(3), 102108.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (2001) Fertility and reproductive preferences in post-transitional societies. Population and Development Review 27, 260281.Google Scholar
Bongaarts, J. (2002) The end of the fertility transition in the developing world. Population and Development Review 28(3), 419443.Google Scholar
Cain, M. T., Khanam, S. R. & Nahar, S. (1979) Class, patriarchy, and women’s work in Bangladesh. Population and Development Review 5(3), 405438.Google Scholar
Caldwell, J. C. & Caldwell, P. (1987) The cultural context of high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. Population and Development Review 13(3), 409437.Google Scholar
Caldwell, J. C. (1981) The mechanisms of demographic change in historical perspective. Population Studies 35(1), 527.Google Scholar
Casterline, J. B. & El-Zeini, L. O. (2007) The estimation of unwanted fertility. Demography 44(4), 729745.Google Scholar
Coombs, L. C. (1979) Prospective fertility and underlying preferences: a longitudinal study in Taiwan. Population Studies 33(3), 447455.Google Scholar
Coombs, L. C. & Chang, M. C. (1981) Do husbands and wives agree? Fertility attitudes and later behavior. Population and Environment 4(2), 109127.Google Scholar
Das Gupta, M. & Bhat, P. N. M. (1997) Fertility decline and increased manifestation of sex bias in India. Population Studies 51(3), 307315.Google Scholar
De Rose, L. F. & Ezeh, A. C. (2005) Men’s influence on the onset and progress of fertility decline in Ghana, 1988–98. Population Studies 59(2), 197210.Google Scholar
Dharmalingam, A., Rajan, S. & Morgan, S. P. (2014) The determinants of low fertility in India. Demography 51(4), 14511475.Google Scholar
Diro, C. W. & Afework, M. F. (2013) Agreement and concordance between married couples regarding family planning utilization and fertility intention in Dukem, Ethiopia. BMC Public Health 13, 903.Google Scholar
Dyson, T. & Moore, M. (1983) On kinship structure, female autonomy, and demographic behavior in India. Population and Development Review 9(1), 3560.Google Scholar
Edlund, L. (1999) Son preference, sex ratios, and marriage patterns. Journal of Political Economy 107(6), 12751304.Google Scholar
Ezeh, A. C. (1993) The influence of spouses over each other’s contraceptive attitudes in Ghana. Studies in Family Planning 24(3), 163174.Google Scholar
Ezeh, A. C., Mberu, B. U. & Emina, J. O. (2009) Stall in fertility decline in Eastern African countries: regional analysis of patterns, determinants and implications. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B 364(1532), 29913007.Google Scholar
Feyisetan, B. J., Oyediran, K. A. & Ishola, G. P. (1998) The Role of Men in Family Planning in Imo State of Nigeria. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Population Research Fund Management Unit, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Foreit, K. G. & Suh, M. H. (1980) The effect of reproductive intentions on subsequent fertility among low-parity Korean women, 1971–76. Studies in Family Planning 11(3), 91104.Google Scholar
Gaudin, S. (2011) Son preference in Indian families: absolute versus relative wealth effects. Demography 48(1), 343370.Google Scholar
Gipson, J. D. & Hindin, M. J. (2009) The effect of husbands’ and wives’ fertility preferences on the likelihood of a subsequent pregnancy, Bangladesh 1998–2003. Population Studies 63(2), 135146.Google Scholar
Hannum, E. (2005) Market transition, educational disparities, and family strategies in rural China: new evidence on gender stratification and development. Demography 42(2), 275299.Google Scholar
Hossain, M. B., Phillips, J. F. & Mozumder, A. K. A. (2007) The effect of husbands’ fertility preferences on couples’ reproductive behaviour in rural Bangladesh. Journal of Biosocial Science 39(5), 745757.Google Scholar
Isiugo-Abanihe, U.C. (1994) Reproductive motivation and family size preferences among Nigerian men. Studies in Family Planning 25(3), 149161.Google Scholar
Jansen, M. & Liefbroer, A. C. (2006) Couples’ attitudes, childbirth, and the division of labor. Journal of Family Issues 27(11), 14871511.Google Scholar
Kulczycki, A. (2008) Husband–wife agreement, power relations and contraceptive use in Turkey. International Family Planning Perspectives 34(3), 127137.Google Scholar
Mason, K. O. & Smith, H. L. (2000) Husbands’ versus wives’ fertility goals and use of contraception: the influence of gender context in five Asian countries. Demography 37(3), 299311.Google Scholar
Mason, K. O. & Taj, A. M. (1987) Differences between women’s and men’s reproductive goals in developing countries. Population and Development Review 13(4), 611638.Google Scholar
Miller, W., Severy, L. & Pasta, D. (2004) A framework for modelling fertility motivation in couples. Population Studies 58(2), 193205.Google Scholar
Odimegwu, C., Adedini, S. A., Ononokpono, D. N. & Imasiku, E. N. S. (2014) Couple characteristics and fertility decision-making in Imo State, Nigeria: evidence from historical data. Southern African Journal of Demography 15(1), 101132.Google Scholar
Odusola, A. F., Oyediran, K. A., Bogunjoko, J. O. & Adeyemo, J. A. (1998) Adjustment Policies Gender Dynamics and Family Size Reduction in Nigeria: A Case Study of Kaduna State. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Population Research Fund Management Unit, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Oyediran, K., Isiugo-Abanihe, U. C. & Bankole, A. (2006) Correlates of spousal communication on fertility and family planning among the Yoruba of Nigeria. Journal of Comparative Family Studies 37(3), 441460.Google Scholar
Pande, R. P. & Astone, N. M. (2007) Explaining son preference in rural India: the independent role of structural versus individual factors. Population Research and Policy Review 26(1), 129.Google Scholar
Ratcliffe, A. A., Hill, A. G., Harrington, D. P. & Walraven, G. (2002) Reporting of fertility events by men and women in rural Gambia. Demography 39(3), 573586.Google Scholar
Razzaque, A. (2000) Preference for children and subsequent birth: evidence from Matlab, Bangladesh. Genus 56(3/4), 209221.Google Scholar
Rele, J. R. (1962) Some aspects of family and fertility in India. Population Studies 15(3), 267278.Google Scholar
Stephenson, R., Bartel, D. & Rubardt, M. (2012) Constructs of power and equity and their association with contraceptive use among men and women in rural Ethiopia and Kenya. Global Public Health 7(6), 618634.Google Scholar
Tilahun, T., Coene, G., Temmerman, M. & Degomme, O. (2014) Spousal discordance on fertility preference and its effect on contraceptive practice among married couples in Jimma zone, Ethiopia. Reproductive Health 11(1), 27.Google Scholar
Williams, R. & Thomson, E. (1985) Can spouses be trusted? A look at husband/wife proxy reports. Demography 22(1), 115123.Google Scholar
Wolff, B., Blanc, A. K. & Ssekamatte‐Ssebuliba, J. (2000) The role of couple negotiation in unmet need for contraception and the decision to stop childbearing in Uganda. Studies in Family Planning 31(2), 124137.Google Scholar
Yadav, K., Singh, B. & Goswami, K. (2010) Agreement and concordance regarding reproductive intentions and contraception between husbands and wives in rural Ballabgarh, India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 35(1), 19.Google Scholar
Zulu, E. M. (1998) The role of men and women in decision making about reproductive issues in Malawi. African Population Policy Research Center Working Paper No. 2. Population Council, Nairobi.Google Scholar