Volume 48 - Article 8 | Pages 203–232  

The sex preference for children in Europe: Children’s sex and the probability and timing of births

By Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska, Magdalena Grabowska

Abstract

Background: The preference for having children of a particular sex may be reflected in fertility behavior. For example, parents who want to have a son may be more likely to have another child if their firstborn child is female or if they have two female children. They may also speed up the conception, resulting in a faster progression to the next child.

Objective: We examine whether there is a sex preference for children in Europe, which is reflected in an increased/decreased probability of having another child and a shorter/longer time to the next birth given the sex of existing children. We distinguish between progression to the second and the third child and different cohorts.

Methods: We model the impact of children’s sex on fertility using event history analysis. We apply mixture cure models, which allow us to distinguish between the probability of experiencing the event of interest and its timing.

Results: We find evidence of the preference for having a girl, reflected in an increased probability of not having a second child if the first child is female. We also find that women who have two children of the same sex are more likely to give birth to a third child.

Contribution: We contribute to research on the sex preference for children by (1) providing a comprehensive analysis of a number of European countries using consistent data and methodology, (2) examining the progression to the second and the third child, (3) distinguishing between different cohorts of women, and (4) applying mixture cure models.

Author’s Affiliation

• Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska - Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Poland EMAIL
• Magdalena Grabowska - Wydział Nauk Ekonomicznych Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Poland EMAIL

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

Fertility differences across immigrant generations in the United Kingdom
Volume 52 - Article 33    | Keywords: event history analysis, fertility, immigrant, second generation, United Kingdom

The surge in living alone among young and middle-aged adults: A decomposition analysis of the rise in one-person households in Germany, 1991 to 2021
Volume 52 - Article 32    | Keywords: algebraic decomposition, East Germany, gender, housing, middle adulthood, one-person households, social structures, solo living, West Germany, young adulthood

How do fathers and mothers allocate their leisure time? Patterns and inequalities across 13 European countries
Volume 52 - Article 31    | Keywords: Europe, gender inequalities, parents, space-time dynamics, time use

Amish fertility in the United States: Comparative evidence from the American Community Survey and Amish population registries
Volume 52 - Article 26    | Keywords: American Community Survey (ACS), Amish, fertility, natural fertility, total fertility rate (TFR)

Sociodemographic variation in family structures and geographic proximity between adult children and parents in Europe
Volume 52 - Article 25    | Keywords: family structure, grandparents, kinship, multigenerational family structures, social stratification