Son Preference and Women’s Health in China: A Life Course Study

Hong Zou, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Zhengcheng Peng, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Hongwei Xu , Queens College, City University of New York (CUNY)

Son preference is a severe form of gender discrimination against women and can affect gender health disparities in many ways. This study adopts a life course approach to examine how adverse childhood experience of parental son preference and exposure to son preference at the regional level may affect Chinese women’s physical and mental health in later life. This study will also examine whether these associations are moderated by sex composition of adult women’s children. Aggregate population census data will be linked to nationally representative longitudinal survey data to answer these research questions. This study will also explore two potential mechanisms: gender bias against girls in terms of nutritional intake and human capital development.

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 Presented in Session 6. Health & Mortality & Aging