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Nguyen AD, Nguyen LH, Nguyen LD, Ninh LT, Nguyen HTT, Nguyen CT, Nathan N, Do AL, Le AM, Doan LP, Nguyen SH, Vu TMT, Tran BX, Latkin CA, Ho CSH, Ho RCM. Toward sustainable development goals in gender inequality: an analysis of gender preferences among urban pregnant women in a Southeast Asian country. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:780. [PMID: 37950212 PMCID: PMC10638686 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06109-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gender-biased discrimination and preferences are global phenomena, particularly son preferences. However, updated evidence about this issue in Vietnam has not yet been provided. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the gender preferences among pregnant women and identify associated factors of such preferences. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two hospitals in Vietnam with 732 pregnant women. Gender preferences for their child were asked, along with socio-demographic (e.g., education, occupation) and pregnancy characteristics (e.g., pressure to have a son, gender of first child, the importance to have a son of family members, and information sources on pregnancy care) by using face-to-face interviews and a structured questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with gender preferences. RESULTS About 51.9% of the participants had no gender preference, while, among those who had a gender preference, 26.5% preferred sons, and 21.6% preferred daughters. Only 6.2% had pressure to have a son. Having the first child who was female (OR = 4.16, 95%CI = 1.54-11.25), having the pressure to have a son (OR = 6.77, 95%CI = 2.06-22.26), and higher self-perceived importance to have a son (OR = 3.05, 95%CI = 1.85-5.02) were positively associated with son preference. Otherwise, women having partners with high school education or above (OR = 2.04, 95%CI = 1.06-3.91), living with parents-in-law (OR = 2.33; 95%CI = 1.25-4.34), the higher number of pregnancies, and a higher degree of importance in having a son regarding parents-in-law (OR = 2.15, 95%CI = 1.38-3.35) associated with higher odds of preferring daughter. CONCLUSION This study showed that gender preference was common among pregnant women, but the pressure to have a son was low. Further education programs and legal institutions should be implemented to improve gender inequality and gender preference in society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anh Duy Nguyen
- Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Long Hoang Nguyen
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lam Duc Nguyen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ly Thi Ninh
- Social Affair Department, Ca Mau Obstetrics & Pediatrics Hospital, Ca Mau, Vietnam
| | | | - Cuong Tat Nguyen
- Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Vietnam.
- Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam.
| | - Nila Nathan
- Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Anh Linh Do
- Institute of Health Economics and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Anh Minh Le
- Institute of Health Economics and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Linh Phuong Doan
- Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, 550000, Vietnam
- Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam
| | - Son Hoang Nguyen
- Center of Excellence in Evidence-based Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
| | | | - Bach Xuan Tran
- Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carl A Latkin
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cyrus S H Ho
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Roger C M Ho
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Shahvisi A. Engendering Harm: A Critique of Sex Selection For "Family Balancing". JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY 2018; 15:123-137. [PMID: 29368172 PMCID: PMC5897491 DOI: 10.1007/s11673-017-9835-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The most benign rationale for sex selection is deemed to be "family balancing." On this view, provided the sex distribution of an existing offspring group is "unbalanced," one may legitimately use reproductive technologies to select the sex of the next child. I present four novel concerns with granting "family balancing" as a justification for sex selection: (a) families or family subsets should not be subject to medicalization; (b) sex selection for "family balancing" entrenches heteronormativity, inflicting harm in at least three specific ways; (c) the logic of affirmative action is appropriated; (d) the moral mandate of reproductive autonomy is misused. I conclude that the harms caused by family balancing are sufficiently substantive to override any claim arising from a supposed right to sex selection as an instantiation of procreative autonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianne Shahvisi
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Medical School, Biology Road, Falmer, BN1 9PX, UK.
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