Does
Preference for Sons Have a Differential Impact on the Intelligence
of Boys and Girls?: Evidence From India
G. Raina, P. Malhi, D. Malhotra, & J.M. Jerath |
The
paper examined the impact of stated son preference on the intelligence
of bays 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. Key words: son preference, intelligence, family influences, sex/gender discrimination |