Description: Why is Son Preference Declining in South Korea? The Role of Development and Public Policy, and the Implications for China and India

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Why is Son Preference Declining in South Korea? The Role of Development and Public Policy, and the Implications for China and India

For years, South Korea presented the puzzling phenomenon of steeply rising sex ratios at birth despite rapid development, including in women's education and formal employment. This paper shows that son preference decreased in response to devel...

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Main Authors:	Chung, Woojin, Das Gupta, Monica
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ABORTION AGE AT MARRIAGE AGING ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES BIRTH ORDER BORROWING CENSUSES CHANGES IN POPULATION COMPOSITION CHILD MORTALITY CHILD SURVIVAL CHILDBEARING CITIZEN CITIZENS CONCUBINE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT COURT CULTURAL CHANGE CULTURAL FACTORS DEMOCRACY DEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS DESCENT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DISABLED DISCRIMINATION DIVORCE ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES ECONOMIC STATUS EDUCATED WOMEN EDUCATION LEVELS EDUCATIONAL LEVEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN EMPLOYMENT STATUS EQUAL RIGHTS EXPENDITURES FAMILIES FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY LAW FAMILY MEMBERS FAMILY PLANNING FAMILY ROLES FAMILY SIZE FASHION FATHER FEMALE FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE EDUCATION FEMALE INFANTICIDE FEMALE LABOR FEMALE LABOR FORCE FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION FEMALE LIFE EXPECTANCY FERTILITY FERTILITY ATTITUDES FERTILITY BEHAVIOR FERTILITY CONTROL FERTILITY DECLINE FERTILITY LEVELS FERTILITY RATE FERTILITY SURVEY FERTILITY TRANSITION FERTILITY TRANSITIONS FERTILITY TRENDS FINANCIAL SUPPORT FORMAL EDUCATION GENDER GENDER BIAS GENDER EQUALITY GENDER EQUITY GENDER IMBALANCE GENDER INEQUALITIES GENDER RELATIONS GIRL CHILD GIRLS GRASSROOTS WOMEN HEAD OF THE FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING LOANS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS IDEAS ABOUT GENDER ROLES INDUSTRIALIZATION INFANT INFANT MORTALITY INHERITANCE INSURANCE INTERNATIONAL BANK KEPT WOMEN KINSHIP LABOR FORCE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION LABOR MARKET LABOR MARKETS LARGE CITIES LAWS LEGISLATION LEVEL OF EDUCATION LEVELS OF EDUCATION LIVE BIRTH MALE LINEAGES MARGINALIZATION MARRIAGES MARRIED WOMEN MASCULINITY MASS MEDIA MEDIA CAMPAIGNS MIGRATION MINISTRY OF HEALTH MODERNIZATION MORTALITY RATES MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL FERTILITY NATIONAL RESOURCES NUMBER OF BIRTHS NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF PEOPLE OLD AGE OLDER WOMEN PATRIARCHY PENSION PENSIONS PERSONAL COMMUNICATION PLACE OF RESIDENCE POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL POWER POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION ASSOCIATION POPULATION CONTROL POPULATION GROUPS POPULATION RESEARCH POPULATION RESEARCH CENTER POPULATION STATISTICS POPULATION STUDIES PREFERENCE FOR SONS PRENATAL SEX SELECTION PROGRESS PROPORTION OF WOMEN PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC LIFE PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC SCHOOLS PUBLIC SERVICES PUBLIC SPHERE RESOURCE ALLOCATION RESPECT RURAL AREAS RURAL RESIDENCE RURAL RESIDENTS SANCTIONS SAVINGS SCHOOL ENROLMENT SEX SEX BIAS SEX PREFERENCE SEX PREFERENCES SEX RATIO SEX RATIOS SOCIAL AFFAIRS SOCIAL CHANGE SOCIAL CHANGES SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL SCIENCE SOCIAL SERVICES SOCIAL STATUS SOCIAL SUPPORT SOCIAL WELFARE SOCIETAL NORMS SON PREFERENCE STATE POLICIES TRADE UNION TRADITIONAL FAMILY TRADITIONAL VALUES UNBORN CHILDREN UNEDUCATED WOMEN URBAN AREAS URBAN SOCIAL NETWORKS URBANIZATION VILLAGE VILLAGES WAGE DIFFERENTIALS WAGE DISCRIMINATION WAR WESTERN EUROPE WIDOW WIDOWS WIFE WILL WIVES WOMAN WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION YOUNG COUPLES
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/10/8460020/son-preference-declining-south-korea-role-development-public-policy-implications-china-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7367

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Summary:	For years, South Korea presented the puzzling phenomenon of steeply rising sex ratios at birth despite rapid development, including in women's education and formal employment. This paper shows that son preference decreased in response to development, but its manifestation continued until the mid-1990s due to improved sex-selection technology. The paper analyzes unusually rich survey data, and finds that the impact of development worked largely through triggering normative changes across the whole society - rather than just through changes in individuals as their socio-economic circumstances changed. The findings show that nearly three-quarters of the decline in son preference between 1991 and 2003 is attributable to normative change, and the rest to increases in the proportions of urban and educated people. South Korea is now the first Asian country to reverse the trend in rising sex ratios at birth. The paper discusses the cultural underpinnings of son preference in pre-industrial Korea, and how these were unraveled by industrialization and urbanization, while being buttressed by public policies upholding the patriarchal family system. Finally, the authors hypothesize that child sex ratios in China and India will decline well before they reach South Korean levels of development, since they have vigorous programs to accelerate normative change to reduce son preference.