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One male offspring preference: evidence from Vietnam using a split-population model

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Abstract

This paper examines sex preferences for children in Vietnam using the mother birth cohort from 1972 to 1993. We specify the full set for sex–birth order composition of existing children using a split-population model. The model relaxes the assumption in conventional hazard models that all mothers would eventually have another child. Our results indicate a preference in these families for one male offspring. In addition, we observe a mixed sex preference at the fourth birth order. We also establish that a one-square-meter increase in household living area, as a proxy for the increment in household wealth, is associated with a 0.997 times lower preference for a son for the second childbirth, but a 1.015 and 1.014 times higher preference for a son for the third and fourth childbirths, respectively. As long as two-child families dominate the population structure, these results suggest that the importance placed on economic reasons for a son preference will gradually weaken as economic development proceeds in Vietnam.

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Notes

  1. We define age as at the time of the survey. The survey of the Sample 1 households was conducted at different times in May, June and September 2008.

  2. The 2008 VHLSS regards children studying far away from home or remaining dependent on their parents as household members, and so their information is included.

  3. We simplify all functional forms without displaying covariates. For example, h(t) is used instead of h(t; X), where X denotes independent variables.

  4. In demography terminology, π is called the parity progression ratio.

  5. Other combinations with a higher AIC are not reported.

  6. GG is statistically essential in explaining the model. A similar test rejects the null hypothesis that the model without any sex composition nests in the original model. In addition, the original model has a lower AIC.

  7. We acknowledge that it is difficult to distinguish between families having a son preference and those having a mixed sex preference among GGG families.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the useful suggestions of Hisakazu Matsushige, Tsunehiro Ootsuki, and Charles Yuji Horioka of Osaka University, and participants at the Labor Economics Conference held in Awajishima, Japan, on September 4–6, 2011, and the Fall Meeting of the Japanese Economic Association held at Tsukuba University, Japan, on October 29–30, 2011. The authors would especially like to thank Shoshana Grossbard and three anonymous referees for valuable comments and suggestions made during the reviewing process. All remaining errors are ours.

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  1. Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, 1-31 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan

    Tien Manh Vu

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Correspondence to Tien Manh Vu.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 5.

Table 5 Individuals aged 15–25 years by co-residing, marital status and major activities
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Appendix 2

See Table 6.

Table 6 One-sample t test for the ‘sex ratio’ by age and birth order
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Vu, T.M. One male offspring preference: evidence from Vietnam using a split-population model. Rev Econ Household 12, 689–715 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-013-9183-z

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