The Effect of Sex of Firstborn Children on Fertility Preferences

Fertility rates around the world are falling at the same time that male-skewed sex ratios at birth are on the rise. The individual fertility choices people make contribute to this inverse relationship, exacerbating the problem of “missing women” as well as a number of other adverse social and economic effects. The decision to have a child is extremely complex. Distilling the interaction between fertility and sex compositional preferences, fertility levels, and gender norms is an important step toward understanding both the reproductive choices people make as well as the formation of fertility preferences. I use individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) over the period from 1984 through 2018 to perform empirical analysis on the fertility preferences of women and men from over 75 countries. I exploit the exogenous sex of firstborn children and the timing of the DHS survey to explore the marginal effect of having a recently firstborn son or daughter on preferences for total fertility, as well as preferred numbers of sons and daughters. I then test two existing theories how on the sex of existing children influences parity progression: that the sex of existing children matters more in low fertility regimes in explaining subsequent births, and that the sex of children will matter more in places with less egalitarian gender norms. Analysis suggests that the sex of firstborn children plays a role in how fertility preferences update. The strongest preference changes are for ideal number of daughters, although total fertility also change dependent on the sex of one’s firstborn. Finally, I find evidence to support the theory that fertility regimes and gender norms play a role in determining preference updates

Reducing gender bias in household consumption data: Implications for food fortification policy.

Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) data are increasingly used to inform nutrition policy around the world, most prominently for food fortification programs. However, they risk providing incorrect and gender-biased estimates of dietary intakes. We use both 7-day HCES and 24-hour dietary recall (24HR) data on all members of 5604 households in rural Bangladesh to disentangle the two main sources of error: 1) mismeasurement of household consumption, and 2) intra-household allocation assumptions used to individualize household consumption. We show that, relative to 24HR, HCES overestimate household-level quantities and underestimate women’s share of household foods. Errors from modeling the potential benefits and risks of fortification depend on the food – better measurement is needed for foods consumed episodically (e.g. wheat flour or sugar) or in small quantities (e.g. salt and oil). Beyond mean bias, we find poor and heteroskedastic agreement between HCES and 24HR methods, which is more driven by mismeasurement of food quantities than the application of flawed assumptions about food allocation – at least in the Bangladeshi context. We demonstrate a novel generalizable method for improving HCES intake estimates by drawing on the advantages of both HCES and 24HR data. Using a small sample of 24HR data to generate context- and food-specific quantity and allocation corrections, we can almost eliminate mean bias. With further validation, we hope our proposed method can be used to ensure that HCES estimates account for locally-specific measurement error and gender norms, and that nutrition policy based on these data will be safer and more gender-sensitive

The Grizzly, November 10, 2005

Congress to Campus • Spyware Protection • Honor Code Debate Continues • Human Rights Activist Speaks at UC • Scientific Sexual Healing • Epic Skate Shop • DiBlasio to Perform at Ursinus • Repeat! Dynasty Built in Second CC Crown • Fad Diets: Sometimes it is OK Not to be Trendy • Opinions: My Mouth Runneth Over; Who is Samuel Alito? • No Crown but Earn Bid to ECAC • Women\u27s Rugby Division III Championshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1699/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 13, 2005

Rain Dampens, But Fails to Quench, Family Day • UC Tuition Series Part 3: Financial Aid and Scholarships • All in the Timing Opens with Great Aplomb • Program Spotlight: International Film Festival • Internet Feud • Don Asher Speaks on Getting Into Grad School • Interview with The Abercrombie Couple • Texas Hold \u27Em Wins Over Ursinus Students • Why Run When You Can Walk? • Taking Care of an Embarrassing Problem • A New Band of Brothers Comes to Ursinus • Trail Travel • A Great Halloween Costume is Right Around the Corner • Child Development Expert Lectures • Atlantic Monthly\u27s James Fallows to Speak at Ursinus • Opinions: Look, Mom, No Hips!; Laughter is the Best Medicine; Cronyism; I Wonder How Long This One Will Last • Independent Film Producer Nadine Patterson to Speak at Ursinus • Baney Boots Bears Over Newport News • Field Hockey Ranked #1 in Nation • Women\u27s Rugby Drenches Lebanon Valleyhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1696/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 17, 2005

Morgan Tyler McKinney Christened in Bomberger • Brewer\u27s Festival • March of Dimes / A.I.R. Awards • Say Hello to Carmella Greco • Sexual Engineering • The Examined Life Brings Memories of CIE • Opinions: A Call for Justice: The Fight Against Satire at Ursinus; It\u27s Your Bed, So Make It; Life: The Eight o\u27Clock Spanish Class; Why This Liberal Supports Samuel Alito • Bears Advance to Final Four • Spirits Still High After Season Opening Losshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1700/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, October 12, 2006

Editorial: Call to Responsibility • Letter of Apology • New Shopping Center Near Campus • Spring Registration Just Around the Corner • Preventing Sexual Assault • Sexual Assault Awareness on Campus • New Incentive Program Underway for CAB • Ursinus Students Evoke Shakespeare\u27s Spirit in Two Gentlemen of Verona • Degas: His Work, His Vision, His Camera • Opinions: On Habeas Corpus; Hurt Feelings; Fundamental Importance of Negative Campaigning • Bears Pull Out Victory in Second Half Comeback • Men\u27s Soccer Capture First Win • A Look Into Ursinus College Fall Athleticshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1721/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, November 9, 2006

Philly Soft Pretzel Factory Now Open • English for All • WeCAN Make(s) a Difference! Workers\u27 Rights Conference Held at Ursinus • Wearing Justice on Our Sleeves • Students Protest at the Mall • Genital Warts and HPV: The Facts, Part I • Spotlight: Psychology Club • Guy Fawkes Day Revisited • Triangle People : The Work of Lynn Chadwick • Opinions: The Significance of Kyke ; Open Letter to Ursinus; 2008 Preview: Part II; Gay Marriage: Who Should Decide? • Bears Beat Rival LaSalle, Take Home Second Title • Explosive Offense Shoots Bears Past Diplomatshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1724/thumbnail.jp