Female Labour Force Participation and the Reduction in Son Preference in China

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12349297
AutoresXiangpo Chen (0000-0002-5484-8408, South China Agricultural University), Xinyan Hu (0000-0002-1682-6515, South China Agricultural University, autor correspondente), Xinying Zeng (0000-0001-7590-0669, Sun Yat-sen University), Zhuo Chen (0000-0002-5351-3489, South China Agricultural University)
Ano2022
Volume47
Fascículo3
Páginas444-463
Data de publicação2022-08-18
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAsian Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1035-7823 • E-ISSN: 1467-8403
EditoraRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10357823.2022.2111547
OpenAlexW4292249281
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas2
Referências citadas70

The preference for sons transcends many cultures, making it an issue with local and global dimensions. This article explores if and how married women’s preferences in relation to their children are influenced by a shift in their economic status. Our results show that female employment had a significant effect on son preference. Specifically, women’s participation in the labour market reduces son preference by 15.7 per cent, and a 10 per cent increase in wages leads to a further 0.05 per cent reduction in the preference for having sons rather than daughters. The results also support the view that economic factors are sufficient to change deeply entrenched norms regarding gender preferences. We attribute the positive effect of labour participation on female bargaining power to shifts in the allocation of intrahousehold resources. The article conducts a cross-regional test to illustrate that the developmental gap between rural and urban communities partly explains China’s increasing sex imbalance. It thereby shows why the phenomenon of ‘missing women’ has played out so differently worldwide

Bargaining power · China · Demographic economics · Economics · Gender relations · Labour economics · Microeconomics · Phenomenon · Political science · Power (physics · Preference · Sociology · Test (biology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · Global Maternal and Child Health