This article assesses the strength of son preference in Bangladesh, as reflected in fertility behavior. Although the fertility rate for Bangladesh declined from 6.3 children per woman of reproductive age in the year 1975 to 2.3 children in 2014, empirical results show that son preference has still a strong influence on fertility behavior. Keeping cognizant of this fact, this study examines levels and differentials in fertility and also investigates the effects of son preference on fertility in Bangladesh. In addition, the study inspects the underlying factors responsible for son preference. Levels of fertility indicate that the proportion of higher education of a couple is inversely related to fertility, whereas rural and Muslim couples in Bangladesh have more children. The bivariate analysis shows that almost all the independent variables selected for this study have a significant association with parity progression. Findings from multivariate analyses suggest that women with at least one son are less likely to continue childbearing than women without sons at parities 2-3. At most or all parities, continued childbearing is negatively associated with education, access to mass media, and family wealth. A significant source of motivation for parity progression in couples is the desire to have a son.

中文翻译：

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儿子偏好对生育能力的影响：胎次进展分析

本文评估了孟加拉国的儿子偏好强度，这反映在生育行为上。尽管孟加拉的生育率从 1975 年的每名育龄妇女 6.3 个孩子下降到 2014 年的 2.3 个孩子，但实证结果表明，重男轻女对生育行为的影响仍然很大。认识到这一事实，本研究调查了生育率的水平和差异，并调查了孟加拉国重男轻女对生育率的影响。此外，该研究检查了导致儿子偏好的潜在因素。生育率水平表明，夫妇受过高等教育的比例与生育率成反比，而孟加拉国的农村和穆斯林夫妇生育的孩子更多。双变量分析表明，几乎所有为本研究选择的自变量都与胎次进展显着相关。多变量分析的结果表明，在第 2-3 胎次中，至少有一个儿子的女性比没有儿子的女性更不可能继续生育。在大多数或所有平等情况下，继续生育与教育、大众媒体的使用和家庭财富呈负相关。夫妻同房进步的一个重要动机是想要一个儿子。接触大众媒体和家庭财富。夫妻平等发展的一个重要动机是想要一个儿子。接触大众媒体和家庭财富。夫妻平等发展的一个重要动机是想要一个儿子。