Having daughters makes you happier, survey says
Updated: 2015-05-19 07:39
By Xu Wei(China Daily)
|
||||||||
Parents who have girls are much happier than those with boys, particularly when the children reach early adulthood, according to a study.
The contrast is especially evident among parents whose children are between 24 and 30 and plan to marry, as in China the groom's family is traditionally responsible for buying a home for newlyweds.
Researchers also found that mothers with daughters were happier when they became elderly than those with sons.
The study was conducted by Lu Fangwen, an associate professor of development economics at Renmin University of China, and Liu Guoen, an economics professor at the National School of Development at Peking University.
They studied the responses of 4,309 families that took part in the China Social General Survey carried out by Renmin University in 2008.
Parents were asked to pick a number between one and five to describe their level of happiness, with one being "very unhappy" and five "very happy".
The study compared the happiness levels of parents based on the gender of their first child.
"The factor of real estate prices plays a very important part, as our study shows that parents in areas with high prices are showing much lower happiness indexes," said Lu.
The study found no evidence for the traditional idea that having sons ensures better care in old age.
"Quite the opposite, our research shows that having a son significantly reduces the happiness index of elderly parents, in both rural and urban areas," she said.
One of the major problems resulting from the family planning policy and the preference for boys over girls is the imbalance of the sex ratio at birth, as 115.88 boys were born for every 100 girls last year, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
The imbalance reached its peak in 2004 when the country recorded 121.18 boys for every 100 girls.
The central government relaxed the one child policy in November 2013, allowing couples where one partner is an only child to have a second baby.
"The competition for males in the marriage market is getting fiercer, and that has also piled pressure on parents," Lu said.
Lu said the chances of parents opting for gender selection is much higher with a second child, and this has aggravated the problem of gender imbalance.
"The phenomenon is much more common among parents who have girls as their first child," she said.
"They generally have a strong wish that they have a son as their second child."
xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn
- Premier Li arrives in Brazil to start official visit
- Weirdest towns in the world
- Students from vocational schools also make big bucks
- Ten photos you don't wanna miss - May 19
- Royal family adds color to Chelsea Flower Show
- Premier takes in Irish countryside at old farm
- China, Ireland sign agricultural deals
- Monks practice martial art at Quanzhou Shaolin Temple
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Premier Li embarks on Latin America visit |
What do we know about AIIB |
Full coverage of Boao Forum for Asia |
Annual legislative and political advisory sessions |
Spring Festival trends reflect a changing China |
Patent applications lead the world |
Today's Top News
Brazil embraces third wave of Chinese investment
Taoist teaches US official one or two things about feng shui
White House bans police from using certain military equipment
China eyes 'capacity exports' to sustain growth
Vietnam's objection to fishing ban in South China Sea dismissed
Li arrives in Brasilia to sign agreements
In Brazil's capital, young weigh in on China
Li samples products of an Irish farm
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |