Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India

Intra-household bargaining power differs between men and women for various reasons, primarily due to unequal social norms and differences in income. Patriarchal societies often put higher values to son(s) due to perceived higher utility gains from them compared to daughter(s). In such societies, c...

Whakaahuatanga katoa

Ngā taipitopito rārangi puna kōrero
Kaituhi matua: Das, Suparna
Hōputu: Tuhinga
Reo:Ingarihi
I whakaputaina: International Journal of Gender and Women‟s Studies 2025
Ngā marau:
Urunga tuihono:https://repository.auw.edu.bd/handle/123456789/1233
_version_ 1857448929758543872
author Das, Suparna
author_facet Das, Suparna
author_sort Das, Suparna
collection institutional Repository
description Intra-household bargaining power differs between men and women for various reasons, primarily due to unequal social norms and differences in income. Patriarchal societies often put higher values to son(s) due to perceived higher utility gains from them compared to daughter(s). In such societies, child-bearing and childcare are considered to be women‟s primary responsibility, thus, women's fertility outputs can play an important role in their intra-household bargaining status. Using the National Family and Health Survey (2015) data on Indian couples, this paper examines the son-effect on women's say in different decision- making in the family. The probit estimations show that women with at least a son are 2 - 4 percent more likely (significantly) to have a say in different decisions compared to women with no son. Women with first born son have around 1 percent higher probability of having say in decisions compared to women with first born daughter.
format Article
id 123456789-1233
institution Asian University for Women
language English
publishDate 2025
publisher International Journal of Gender and Women‟s Studies
record_format dspace
spelling 123456789-12332026-02-18T06:14:59Z Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India Das, Suparna household bargaining, son preference, women‟s status, son-effect, decision making Intra-household bargaining power differs between men and women for various reasons, primarily due to unequal social norms and differences in income. Patriarchal societies often put higher values to son(s) due to perceived higher utility gains from them compared to daughter(s). In such societies, child-bearing and childcare are considered to be women‟s primary responsibility, thus, women's fertility outputs can play an important role in their intra-household bargaining status. Using the National Family and Health Survey (2015) data on Indian couples, this paper examines the son-effect on women's say in different decision- making in the family. The probit estimations show that women with at least a son are 2 - 4 percent more likely (significantly) to have a say in different decisions compared to women with no son. Women with first born son have around 1 percent higher probability of having say in decisions compared to women with first born daughter. 2025-08-13T09:21:45Z 2025-08-13T09:21:45Z 2020 Article https://repository.auw.edu.bd/handle/123456789/1233 en application/pdf International Journal of Gender and Women‟s Studies
spellingShingle household bargaining, son preference, women‟s status, son-effect, decision making
Das, Suparna
Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title_full Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title_fullStr Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title_full_unstemmed Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title_short Impact of ‘Having a Son’ on Women’s Intra-household Status: Evidence from India
title_sort impact of having a son on women s intra household status evidence from india
topic household bargaining, son preference, women‟s status, son-effect, decision making
url https://repository.auw.edu.bd/handle/123456789/1233
work_keys_str_mv AT dassuparna impactofhavingasononwomensintrahouseholdstatusevidencefromindia