Doctoral Dissertation Research: Son Preference and Sex Selection in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

Imbalanced sex ratios at birth are a long-standing social problem. An excess of male births not only signals a deep devaluation of women, but it can distort population dynamics for subsequent generations. Prenatal selection of boys requires modern medical technologies such as ultrasound. Still, sex ratios at birth have become skewed in parts of the developing world with no documented history of postnatal discrimination against girls. Why? The purpose of this research is to document how expecting parents viewed the potential benefits and disadvantages of raising sons and daughters, how couples first learned about the availability of sex selection technologies, and how they navigated family planning decisions. The findings of this case study will help us understand the various mechanisms through which prenatal sex selection gains traction. Findings will be disseminated among academics and stakeholders who are invested in generating policies that address imbalanced sex ratios at birth. This study will use qualitative methods to learn about parents? Sex preferences for children and attitudes toward sex selection. Spouses will be interviewed separately and together as a couple. As demographers project that the diffusion of ultrasound technology will facilitate sex selective practices across the developing world, this study will highlight the moral terrain that individuals navigate before they accept prenatal sex selection as a viable family planning option.