Son Preference and its Socioeconomic Determinants in Eastern Indian

Abstract

Son preference means favoring male child over female child. There are enough evidences to reveal that most Indian couples have a strong preference for sons over daughters and this practice may affect demographic behavior of parents' and children's health as well. This paper aims to examine prevalence of son preference in the four states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal) of India and it also aims to examine the factors that influence preference of sons over daughters