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THE IMPACT OF THE STOPPING RULE ON SEX RATIO OF LAST BIRTHS IN VIETNAM

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

BANG NGUYEN PHAM ,
TIMOTHY ADAIR ,
PETER S. HILL  and
CHALAPATI RAO
BANG NGUYEN PHAM
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
TIMOTHY ADAIR
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
PETER S. HILL
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
CHALAPATI RAO
Affiliation:
School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Australia
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Summary

This study examines the hypothesis that the stopping rule – a traditional postnatal sex selection method where couples decide to cease childbearing once they bear a son – plays a role in high sex ratio of last births (SRLB). The study develops a theoretical framework to demonstrate the operation of the stopping rule in a context of son preference. This framework was used to demonstrate the impact of the stopping rule on the SRLB in Vietnam, using data from the Population Change Survey 2006. The SRLB of Vietnam was high at the level of 130 in the period 1970–2006, and particularly in the period 1986–1995, when sex-selective abortion was not available. Women were 21% more likely to stop childbearing after a male birth compared with a female birth. The SRLB was highest at parity 2 (138.7), particularly in rural areas (153.5), and extremely high (181.9) when the previous birth was female. Given the declining fertility, the stopping rule has a potential synergistic effect with sex-selective abortion to accentuate a trend of one-son families in the population.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , March 2012 , pp. 181 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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