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Son Preference and Hindu–Muslim Fertility Differentials in ‘Ultra-low’ Fertility Context in Kolkata, India

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Population Dynamics in Eastern India and Bangladesh

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Abstract

Son preference among Hindus and Muslims, in the context of ‘ultra-low’ fertility, is highly debated with respect to fertility and contraceptive use differentials by religion. This paper reveals that for the Hindus, son preference remains masked and co-opted through the acceptance of the daughter in the family. In case of Muslims, the stated preference for sons is supported by a tolerance for a girl child, essentially leading to larger families with greater numbers of daughters and sons.

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Acknowledgements

The earlier draft of the paper was presented in 2017 Annual Meeting Program of Population Association of America, 27–29 April, Chicago, USA. We acknowledge the comments of Zheng Wu and Terence Hall in order to improve our arguments. The authors are grateful to the Asia Research Centre (ARC), London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and also to the Research Investigators. Assistance provided by the then Chairman, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), during the field surveys was of immense help. Finally, the authors express deep regard to all the study participants for their readiness in participation in the study.

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  1. Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, DD 27/D, Sector 1, Kolkata, 700064, India

    Saswata Ghosh & Nandini Ghosh

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  1. Saswata Ghosh
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Correspondence to Saswata Ghosh .

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  1. International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India

    Aparajita Chattopadhyay

  2. Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Saswata Ghosh

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Ghosh, S., Ghosh, N. (2020). Son Preference and Hindu–Muslim Fertility Differentials in ‘Ultra-low’ Fertility Context in Kolkata, India. In: Chattopadhyay, A., Ghosh, S. (eds) Population Dynamics in Eastern India and Bangladesh. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3045-6_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3045-6_10

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