Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T02:44:52.968Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fertility norms and son preference in Morocco and Tunisia: does women's status matter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer
Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer
Affiliation:
Harvard University, School of Public Health, Boston, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

This paper investigates the normative and behavioural dimensions of son preference in Morocco and Tunisia, using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of the two countries. It considers three measures of son preference: (1) mothers' ideal number of children, and any preference for having more sons than daughters; (2) the desire for additional children, given their existing family; (3) reported use of contraception in relation to the existing number of children of each sex. The analyses indicate a moderate preference for sons in both countries, and suggest that this preference is somewhat stronger in Tunisia. These findings are interpreted within the cultural context of the two countries, and in particular societal notions of women's status.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , January 1996 , pp. 57 - 72
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abu-Lughod, L. (1989) Zones of theory in the anthropology of the Arab world. Ann. Rev. Anthrop. 18, 267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ali, S. (1989) Does son preference matter? J. biosoc. Sci. 21, 399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Amin, R. & Mariam, A. (1987) Son preference in Bangladesh: an emerging barrier to fertility regulation. J. biosoc. Sci. 19, 221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, F. (1985) Measuring the effect of sex preference on fertility: the case of Korea. Demography, 22, 280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, F. (1987) The effect of sex preference on fertility and family planning: empirical evidence. Popul. Bull. UN, 23/24, 44.Google Scholar
Bairagi, R. & Langsten, R. (1986) Sex preference for children and its implications for fertility in rural Bangladesh. Stud. Fam. Plann. 7, 302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bates, D. & Rassam, A. (1983). Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Bourqia, R. (1995) Women, uncertainty and reproduction in Morocco. In: Family, Gender, and Population in the Middle East: Policies in Context. Edited by Makhlouf Obermeyer, C.Columbia University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Cain, M. (1984) Women's Status and Fertility in Developing Countries: Son Preference and Economic Security. Working Paper No. 82. World Bank, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Cain, M. (1988) Patriarchal structure and demographic change. In: Conference on Women's Position and Demographic Change in the Course of Development, pp. 19–41. IUSSP,Liège.Google Scholar
Chaouai, A., Timaeus, I. & Aoun, S. (1990) Mortalité des jeunes enfants et caractéristiques médico-sanitaires au Maroc. In: Determinants of Health and Mortality in Africa. Edited by Hill, A.. DHS Further Analyses Series No. 10.Google Scholar
Chowdhury, M. & Bairagi, R. (1990) Son preference and fertility in Bangladesh. Popul. Dev. Rev. 16, 749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleland, J., Verrall, J. & Vaessen, M. (1983) Preferences for Sex of Children and their Influence on Reproductive Behaviour. WFS Comparative Studies: Cross-National Summaries No. 27. International Statistical Institute, Voorburg.Google Scholar
Cook, R. & Hanslip, A. (1964) Nutrition and mortality of females under five years of age compared with males in the Greater Syria region. J. trop. Pediat. 10, 76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Courbage, Y. (1995) Fertility transition in the Mashreq and the Maghreb: education, emigration, and the diffusion of ideas. In: Family, Gender, and Population in the Middle East: Policies in Context. Edited by Makhlouf Obermeyer, C.Columbia University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Cuisenier, J. (1962) Endogamie et exogamie dans le marriage arabe. L'Homme, 2, 80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gadalla, S., McCarthy, J. & Campbell, O. (1985) How the number of living sons influences contraceptive use in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Stud. Fam. Plann. 16, 164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gueddana, N., Aicha, Ben N. & Jarraya, S. (1989) Un Enfant et Deux Tunisies: Résultats d'une Enquête Nationale sur la Mortalité et la Morbidité Infantiles. Ministère de la Santé Publique, Tunis.Google Scholar
Kimmance, K. (1972) Failure to thrive and lactation failure in Jordanian villages in 1970. J. trop. Pediat. 18, 313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Makhlouf Obermeyer, C. (1992) Women, Islam, and politics: the demography of Arab countries. Popul. Dev. Rev. 18, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Makhlouf Obermeyer, C. (1993) Culture, maternal health care and women's status: a comparison of Morocco and Tunisia. Stud. Fam. Plann. 24, 354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Makinson, C. (1985) Age and Sex Difference in the Treatment of Childhood Diarrhea Episodes in Rural Menoufia. American Social Research Center, Cairo.Google Scholar
Makinson, C. (1993) Discrimination against the female child. In: World Report on Women's Health. Edited by Fathalla, M..Google Scholar
Murphy, R. & Kasdan, L. (1959) The structure of parallel cousin marriage. Am. Anthrop. 61, 17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nag, M. (1991) Sex Preference in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, and its Effect on Ferttlity. Working Paper No. 27, Population Council, New York.Google Scholar
Rassam, A. (1984) Arab women: the status of research in the social sciences and the status of women. In: Social Science Research and Women in the Arab World, pp. 1–13. Edited by Rassam, A.. Dover, London.Google Scholar
Rizk, H. (1977) Trends and differentials in fertility and family planning in Jordan. Stud. Fam. Plann. 8, 91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tekce, B. & Shorter, F. (1984) Determinants of child mortality: a study of squatter settlements in Jordan. Popul. Dev. Rev. Supplement 10, 257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations (1987) Fertility Preferences in the Context of Development: Evidence from the World Fertility Survey. UN, New York.Google Scholar
Van De, Walle E. (1992) Fertility transition, conscious choice and numeracy. Demography, 29, 487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williamson, N. (1976) Sons or Daughters: A Cross-cultural Survey of Parental Preferences. Sage, Beverly Hills.Google Scholar
Wong, R. & Agarwal, K. (1993) The common determinants of utilization of child-survival and fertility-control interventions. In: International Population Conference, Montreal, 1993. IUSSP, Liège.Google Scholar
World Bank (1993) Social Indicators of Development. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Yaukey, D. (1961) Fertility Preferences in a Developing Country. Princeton University Press, Princeton.CrossRefGoogle Scholar