Son Meta-Preference

Why in news?

The newly released National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reconfirms that a large number of Indians have a preference for sons with the only exception of Meghalaya.

What is the NFHS?

• The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
• The NFHS provides estimates on key indicators related to population, family planning, child and maternal health, nutrition, adult health, and domestic violence, among others.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has designated International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) as the nodal agency for the NFHS.
• NFHS was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with supplementary support from UNICEF.
• The First National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) was conducted in 1992-93.
• NFHS-5 covers the period 2019-21.

What are the key takeaways of the report?

• Son meta-preference- The number of married people (age 15-49) who want more sons than daughters is several times the number who want more daughters than sons.
• However, most Indians still believe an ideal family should include at least one daughter.
• Most of the respondents want at least one son and at least one daughter.
• Average children- Men and women would both want to have an average of 2.1 children which is almost the same as the current total fertility rate.
• A married person who has at least one son is less likely to want more children than another married person whose existing children do not include a son.
• Trends by states- Among the states and Union Territories, men in Mizoram (37%), Lakshadweep (34%) and Manipur (33%), and women in Bihar (31%) show the strongest preference for more sons.
• Across all states and both genders, Meghalaya women are the only section in which a higher proportion prefers more daughters than sons than the proportion that want more sons than daughter.

Meghalaya is a matrilineal society where the ancestral descent is traced through maternal instead of paternal line.

What were the reasons for son preference?

• In India's patriarchal society, a boy is widely viewed as an asset, a future breadwinner and caregiver while a girl, on the other hand, is seen as a liability.
• The son preference is rooted in the traditional belief that a male child would carry forward the family name.
• It is also believed that sons will look after the parents in their old age, while daughters would leave them for their matrimonial homes.
• Also, raising a daughter would cost them dowries.

References

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/indians-preference-sons-meghalaya-nfhs-explained-7921943/
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61462052
3. https://www.dw.com/en/why-many-indians-prefer-sons-over-daughters/a-42385733