Working Paper: NBER ID: w18679
Authors: Lena Edlund; Chulhee Lee
Abstract: Sex ratios at birth in South Korea reached 116.5 boys per 100 girls in 1990, but have since declined. In 2007, sex ratios were almost normal, a development heralded as a sign that son preference and sex choice have vanished. However, normal sex ratios imply neither. We show that over the last 60 years, the relationship between sex ratios and parental status changed from negative to positive. This pattern, we argue, is consistent with a model where parents prefer sons and sex select - ultrasound and economic development accounting for the change in who chooses sons.
Keywords: son preference; sex selection; economic development; South Korea
JEL Codes: J11; J16; O15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| economic development (O29) | parental choices regarding the sex of children (J13) |
| introduction of ultrasound technology (Y20) | parental choices regarding the sex of children (J13) |
| maternal education (I24) | male offspring ratios (J19) |
| economic development (O29) | shift in parental preferences regarding sex ratios (J13) |
| introduction of sex-selection technologies (J18) | shift in parental preferences regarding sex ratios (J13) |
| local marriage market conditions (R31) | likelihood of having male children (J13) |
| parental socioeconomic status (SES) (I24) | sex ratios (J79) |
| parental choices regarding the sex of children (J13) | sex ratios (J79) |
| economic development (O29) | parental SES and sex ratios relationship (J12) |