Abstract:Using the data of family and fertility survey conducted by the Population and Development Research Centre at Renmin University of China in Zhejiang, Hubei and Hebei in 2010, this paper explains the reasons from a theoretical perspective of "Selective Rationality" why rural women's preference for sons hasn't been weakened by the disappearing economic advantages of boys. The findings indicate that the selective rationality influences rural women's choice of preference in reproduction. In other words, the son preference has been weakened by the social and economic development. But in terms of internalized standards, the son preference hasn't been much affected. Since the final decision of giving birth to a boy or a girl is often a compromise between a personal desire and the internalized standards. That is the reason why the preference for sons hasn't been changed much in a short time period.
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