The Effect of Gender Preference on Contraceptive Use and Fertility in Rural Egypt

Data are used from two surveys of currently married women aged 15-44 conducted in 1979-80 and 1990-91 to explore the changing impact of gender preference on modern contraceptive use and on fertility in rural Menoufia, Egypt. The significantly positive effects on contraceptive use of having one or more sons in 1979 remained constant in 1990. Families without living sons had higher odds of having a birth than did families with two or more sons during 1979-80, and these relative odds were even higher in 1990-91 among families with three or more living children. The implications of these findings for subsequent declines in aggregate fertility are discussed.