FERTILITY NORMS AND SON PREFERENCE IN MOROCCO AND TUNISIA - DOES WOMENS STATUS MATTER

This paper investigates the normative and behavioural dimensions of so n preference in Morocco and Tunisia, using data from the Demographic a nd Health Surveys of the two countries. It considers three measures of son preference: (1) mothers' ideal number of children, and any prefer ence for having more sons than daughters; (2) the desire for additiona l children, given their existing family; (3) reported use of contracep tion in relation to the existing number of children of each sex. The a nalyses indicate a moderate preference for sons in both countries, and suggest that this preference is somewhat stronger in Tunisia. These f indings are interpreted within the cultural context of the two countri es, and in particular societal notions of women's status.