GENDER PREFERENCE AND BIRTH SPACING IN MATLAB, BANGLADESH

Gender preference, particularly son preference, is believed to sustain high fertility in many Asian countries, but previous research shows u nclear effects We examine and compare gender-preference effects on fer tility in two otherwise comparable populations in Bangladesh that diff er markedly in their access to and use of contraception. We expect, an d find, stronger effects of gender preference in the population that h as more access to contraception and higher levels of contraceptive use . Thus gender preference may emerge as a significant barrier to furthe r national family planning efforts in Bangladesh. We find that if a wo man has at least one daughter, the risk of a subsequent birth is relat ed negatively to the number of sons. Women with no daughters also expe rience a higher risk of having a subsequent birth, this finding sugges ts that there is also some preference for daughters. Son preference is strong in both the early and later stages of family formation. but wo men also want to have at least one daughter after having several sons.