Does Preference for Sons Have a Differential Impact on the Intelligence of Boys and Girls?: Evidence From India

Abstract

The paper examined the impact of stated son preference on the intelligence of boys and girls from a developing country. It was hypothesized that preference for sons enhances the intelligence among boys whereas it hampers the intelligence of girls. The sample comprised of 204 boys and 213 girls studying in grade 6 to 8 in an urban centre of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. A detailed questionnaire was administered to mothers which elicited information on the socio-economic characteristics of the household. The Coombs IS Index was used to measure son preference. Intelligence of the children was measured by the Standard Progressive Matrices and the z-scores were used as the dependent measure. Multiple regression analysis indicated that household income and son preference were positively correlated with the intelligence of boys and explained 14 percent of the variance in intelligence. In contrast, son preference was negatively correlated with the intelligence of girls and along with education of mother explained 17.8 percent of variance in the intelligence of girls, It was concluded that son preference has a differential impact on the intelligence of boys and girls which appears to be mediated through several social, cultural, and economic pathways.