Occupational Therapy Publications
Parental Preferences for Sex of Children in Canada
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1999
Journal
Sex Roles
Volume
41
Issue
7-8
First Page
615
Last Page
626
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1023/A%3A1018803723262
Abstract
This study examines parental preferences for sex of children in Canada using data from the 1984 Canadian Fertility Survey. A high percentage of survey participants (37%) report British as their ethnic origin, 24% report French, and 39% belong to all other categories combined. Forty per cent of participants report an income of less than $25,000, 41% an income between $25,000 and $50,000, and 19% an income greater than $50,000. Attitudinal and birth timing measures are used to assess sex preferences at different parities. Both measures indicate that the primary preference is for at least one child of each sex. The birth timing measure indicates that neither boys nor girls are preferred as first-born children by women and their husbands/partners. The attitudinal measure shows that sons are preferred as first-born children among women with a sex preference.However, the greater percentage of zero-parity women have no sex preference for their first-born child.Furthermore, the greater percentage of women at every parity express no sex preference.
