Son Preference and Status of Girl Child in Layyah, Pakistan

Abstract

The preference for sons is widespread in Pakistan. This study examines changing attitudes of society towards son preference and the status of a female child. They employed primary data from the Layyah district of Punjab, Pakistan, to collect this data questionnaire. The researcher devised several metrics to track the evolution of revealed and expressed preferences for male infants throughout time. The researcher finds strong evidence for both the revealed and the stated intention for male offspring in the literature reviewed. In Pakistan, son preference still exists, and it significantly impacts actual and declared fertility. Although the total sex ratio in the country has decreased, the sex ratio at birth and the sex ratio at last birth have both increased, indicating a greater dependence on differential birth stopping. The preference for sons reduces as the couple's educational level rises. Middle-class and rural households are particularly affected by it. The expressed desire for boys has also decreased. The chances of having a second child are unaffected by the gender of the firstborn. Mothers with one or more sons at higher parities, on the other hand, are up to 14 percent less likely than women without sons to pursue subsequent fertility. The chance of resuming childbearing reduces as the number of sons born increases. Through their research, most researchers had examined a high ratio worldwide where several families and communities consider a baby girl a burden. But, on the other hand, having a baby male is a good sign for many reasons. This misconception was common due to a lack of knowledge. But, as this world is evolving day by day, same as people are leveling up their maturity and promoting gender equality. But unfortunately, several nations or religious obligations still exist where there is less value for female children in their society, and they only prefer male children. Therefore, this research highlights and analyses a female child's status and the preferences of a male child in the Layyah district of Punjab, Pakistan.