<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This paper provides new evidence on the acquisition and persistence of child gender preference among immigrant populations in the United States using Census and American Community Survey data. We first confirm the existing evidence of son preference among immigrant populations from South East Asia that was documented across multiple studies and samples. We then demonstrate several new empirical findings. First, Japanese immigrants exhibit daughter preference. Second, assortative matching between immigrant parents is associated with stronger gender preferences. Third, comparing male and female migrants who marry natives provides suggestive evidence that paternal preferences could be more to blame for son preference than maternal. Fourth, child gender preferences are strongest for migrants who arrive after childhood but do not appear to diminish with the duration of residence in the United States. Finally, while higher-order generations exhibit weaker son preference, there is a high degree of heterogeneity across groups. Most of the second- and higher-order generation immigrants assimilate more rapidly to US norms except Indian immigrant populations, which exhibit strong son preference among higher-order generations.</p></abstract>

This paper provides new evidence on the acquisition and persistence of child gender preference among immigrant populations in the United States using Census and American Community Survey data. We first confirm the existing evidence of son preference among immigrant populations from South East Asia that was documented across multiple studies and samples. We then demonstrate several new empirical findings. First, Japanese immigrants exhibit daughter preference. Second, assortative matching between immigrant parents is associated with stronger gender preferences. Third, comparing male and female migrants who marry natives provides suggestive evidence that paternal preferences could be more to blame for son preference than maternal. Fourth, child gender preferences are strongest for migrants who arrive after childhood but do not appear to diminish with the duration of residence in the United States. Finally, while higher-order generations exhibit weaker son preference, there is a high degree of heterogeneity across groups. Most of the second- and higher-order generation immigrants assimilate more rapidly to US norms except Indian immigrant populations, which exhibit strong son preference among higher-order generations.

New evidence on son preference among immigrant households in the United States

IZA Journal of Development and Migration

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"New evidence on son preference among immigrant households in the United States"}

This paper provides new evidence on the acquisition and persistence of child gender preference among immigrant populations in the United States using Census...

New evidence on son preference among immigrant households in the United States

Published Online: Aug 17, 2020

Page range: -

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/izajodm-2020-0014

Keywords
son preference, immigrants, assimilation

© 2020 Huiqiong Duan, Daniel L. Hicks, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

New evidence on son preference among immigrant households in the United States

Published Online: Aug 17, 2020

Page range: -

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/izajodm-2020-0014

Keywordsson preference, immigrants, assimilation

© 2020 Huiqiong Duan, Daniel L. Hicks, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
son preference, immigrants, assimilation