Preference for Daughters Emerges in Advanced Countries Like South Korea
Son Preference Weakens in India and China in the 2020s
"Increase in Unmarried Men and Bride Price Customs Also Have an Impact"
While a preference for daughters continues in advanced countries such as South Korea, a new analysis suggests that the preference for sons is also declining in developing countries, including China and India. According to Yonhap News Agency, The Economist reported on June 7 (local time), "For the first time in human history, more parents are regarding daughters as a blessing," adding, "Even in developing countries with extreme gender imbalances, such as China and India, the preference for sons has receded in recent years."
The Economist reached this conclusion by combining its own analysis with data from the United Nations and other sources. First, the annual number of female fetuses who died peaked at 1.7 million in 2000 and remained above 1 million in 2015, but is expected to plummet to 200,000 this year. The Economist explained, "The mortality rate for female fetuses surged in the 1980s as ultrasound became widespread," and analyzed, "Now that the preference for sons has almost disappeared, the sex ratio at birth is returning to its natural level." The natural sex ratio at birth is 105 boys for every 100 girls. While the ratio of males to females at conception is close to 1:1, more female embryos are lost during pregnancy, resulting in a higher proportion of boys at birth.
South Korea was cited as a representative country where the sex ratio at birth has returned to its natural level. In the 1990s, 116 boys were born for every 100 girls in South Korea. At that time, couples who had not yet had a son continued to try for more children, leading to a sex ratio of 200 boys for every 100 girls for the third child, and 250 boys for every 100 girls for the fourth child. However, as of now, South Korea is classified as an advanced country, and the sex ratio at birth stands at 105.1 boys for every 100 girls.
India and China, the world's two most populous countries, still face serious gender imbalances. However, the preference for sons has somewhat subsided since the 2020s. In China, the number of boys per 100 girls remained at 117 throughout the 2000s, but dropped to 111 in 2023. In India, the number of boys per 100 girls increased to 109 by 2010, but fell to 107 in 2023. In Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa, the preference for sons and daughters among women who have not yet given birth is nearly equal. In some Caribbean and African countries, the sex ratio at birth is even lower than 101 boys for every 100 girls.
The Economist analyzed that "overall, the decline in the preference for sons is due to changing perceptions of gender." However, the publication also suggested that various factors may have contributed, such as the increase in unmarried men resulting from gender imbalances in China, the decline in academic achievement among male students reported in the United Kingdom, and the custom of bride price (a payment made to the bride's family in societies with arranged marriages) in some African countries.
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