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Amene EW, Annor FB, Gilbert LK, McOwen J, Augusto A, Manuel P, N'gouanma Nobah MTV, Massetti GM. Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in sub-Saharan Africa: A multicountry analysis of the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS). CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 150:106353. [PMID: 37482505 PMCID: PMC11330677 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adverse Childhood Experiences are traumatic events early in life and have been associated with significant negative health outcomes. OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of ACEs in five low- and middle-income sub-Saharan African countries. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Nationally representative data from the Cote d'Ivoire (2018), Kenya (2019), Lesotho (2018), Mozambique (2019), and Namibia (2019) Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) were used. Analyses were restricted to youth ages 18-24 years (n = 8766 females and 2732 males). METHODS VACS data were analyzed to generate sex-stratified weighted prevalence of individual ACEs (including sexual, physical, and emotional violence; witnessing interparental violence and violence in the community; and orphanhood) and aggregate ACEs (total ACEs; 0, 1-2, and 3 or more), for each country and combined. RESULTS The most common type of ACEs among both females and males was witnessing physical violence (males: 55.0 % [95 % CI: 51.1-58.8] and females: 37.2 % [95 % CI = 34.3-40.1]) followed by experiencing physical violence (males: 49.7 % [95 % CI = 45.5-53.9] and in females: 36.5 % [95 % CI = 33.8-39.2]). Prevalence of sexual violence was significantly higher in females than in males (16.0 % [95 % CI = 13.9-18.2] vs 8.3 % [95 % CI = 7.0-9.8]; p < 0.001). About 72 % of females and 82 % of males have experienced at least one form of ACE with 20 % of females and 24.2 % of males experiencing 3 or more ACEs. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that majority of the children in countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced multiple ACEs in their lifetime. Understanding the extent of the problem will help design early interventions to reduce childhood exposure to ACEs or mitigate against the harmful impact of ACEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ermias W Amene
- Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States.
| | - Francis B Annor
- Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States; United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States
| | - Leah K Gilbert
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States; Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Office of Safety, Security and Asset Management, Occupational Health Clinic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jordan McOwen
- Epidemiology/Surveillance Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mozambique
| | | | - Pedro Manuel
- Epidemiology/Surveillance Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mozambique
| | | | - Greta M Massetti
- Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Bailey CM. (Un)safe Spaces: The Relationship Between Slavery and Sexual Victimization of Black Women. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024; 39:1543-1570. [PMID: 37902456 DOI: 10.1177/08862605231207622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Research exploring the correlates of sexual victimization has found sexual victimization to be associated with both individual- and contextual-level factors, including age, gender, poverty, and size of the female population. However, to date, research has been limited in exploring how historical factors, such as slavery, may be associated with the contemporary prevalence of sexual victimization of women. Historical accounts have often suggested that enslaved women often experienced sexual victimization during their enslavement. Despite these accounts, research has been limited in empirically exploring the relationship between slavery and the sexual victimization of Black women. Using the 1860 U.S. Census and the 2019 National Incidence-Based Reporting System, multilevel logistic regression analyses are employed to explore whether slavery is consequential for contemporary instances of Black female sexual victimization. In line with the "legacy effect" framework, the findings from the current study suggest that Black women are significantly more likely to be sexually victimized in counties characterized by larger enslaved populations in 1860. These findings illuminate how historical institutions, despite being outlawed, have contemporary consequences, particularly for Black women. These findings, discussions, avenues for future research, and policy implications are discussed below.
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Kitayama S, Salvador CE. Cultural Psychology: Beyond East and West. Annu Rev Psychol 2024; 75:495-526. [PMID: 37585666 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-021723-063333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Research in cultural psychology over the last three decades has revealed the profound influence of culture on cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes shaping individuals into active agents. This article aims to show cultural psychology's promise in three key steps. First, we review four notable cultural dimensions believed to underlie cultural variations: independent versus interdependent self, individualism versus collectivism, tightness versus looseness of social norms, and relational mobility. Second, we examine how ecology and geography shape human activities and give rise to organized systems of cultural practices and meanings, called eco-cultural complexes. In turn, the eco-cultural complex of each zone is instrumental in shaping a wide range of psychological processes, revealing a psychological diversity that extends beyond the scope of the current East-West literature. Finally, we examine some of the non-Western cultural zones present today, including Arab, East Asian, Latin American, and South Asian zones, and discuss how they may have contributed, to varying degrees, to the formation of the contemporary Western cultural zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinobu Kitayama
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA;
| | - Cristina E Salvador
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA;
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McKelvie L, Locke A, Albert G, Minor M, MacKinnon M, Hodges-Simeon C, Arnocky S. Perceived Mate Scarcity Leads to Increased Willingness to Mate Poach. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2023; 60:409-417. [PMID: 34859726 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.2005762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mate poaching, where an individual attempts to attract a pair-bonded individual, is a risky mating tactic. Yet, it is surprisingly common. Although many studies have investigated individual differences in mate poaching, few have examined potentially relevant ecological factors, such as mate availability. In this study, 254 unmated North American adults were primed with either perceived mate scarcity or abundance, and subsequently completed measures of fear of being single, intrasexual competitiveness, and attitudes toward mate poaching. Results from a sequential mediation model revealed that men and women primed with mate scarcity held a more positive attitude toward mate poaching relative to those primed with mate abundance, and that this link was mediated by an induced fear of being single and intrasexual competitiveness. Our results suggest that mate poaching is a facultative adaptation of human mating psychology driven by intrasexual competitiveness that is activated in response to environments of low mate availability. It highlights the need for researchers to consider ecological cues when studying individual variation in mate poaching behavior.
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Schacht R, Beissinger SR, Wedekind C, Jennions MD, Geffroy B, Liker A, Kappeler PM, Weissing FJ, Kramer KL, Hesketh T, Boissier J, Uggla C, Hollingshaus M, Székely T. Adult sex ratios: causes of variation and implications for animal and human societies. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1273. [PMID: 36402823 PMCID: PMC9675760 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04223-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Converging lines of inquiry from across the social and biological sciences target the adult sex ratio (ASR; the proportion of males in the adult population) as a fundamental population-level determinant of behavior. The ASR, which indicates the relative number of potential mates to competitors in a population, frames the selective arena for competition, mate choice, and social interactions. Here we review a growing literature, focusing on methodological developments that sharpen knowledge of the demographic variables underlying ASR variation, experiments that enhance understanding of the consequences of ASR imbalance across societies, and phylogenetic analyses that provide novel insights into social evolution. We additionally highlight areas where research advances are expected to make accelerating contributions across the social sciences, evolutionary biology, and biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Schacht
- Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
| | - Steven R Beissinger
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Claus Wedekind
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, 2601, Australia
| | - Benjamin Geffroy
- MARBEC Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - András Liker
- ELKH-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Pannonia, 8210, Veszprém, Hungary
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Center for Natural Sciences, University of Pannonia, 8210, Veszprém, Hungary
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute of Primate Biology, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franz J Weissing
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Karen L Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Therese Hesketh
- Institute of Global Health, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Global Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Jérôme Boissier
- IHPE Univ Perpignan Via Domitia, CNRS, Ifremer, Univ Montpellier, Perpignan, France
| | - Caroline Uggla
- Stockholm University Demography Unit, Sociology Department, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mike Hollingshaus
- Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
- ELKH-DE Reproductive Strategies Research Group, Department of Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, H-4032, Debrecen, Hungary.
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Carpenter RK, Stinson JD. Neighborhood-Level Predictors of Sexual Violence Across Intimate Partner and Non-Intimate Partner Relationships: A Case-Control Study. SEXUAL ABUSE : A JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2022; 34:716-743. [PMID: 34693797 DOI: 10.1177/10790632211051680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ample research explores individual factors associated with sexual violence, yet individual, dyadic, and environmental influences on intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) occurring in the larger context of non-intimate partner violence (NIPSV) remain relatively unexplored. The current study aimed to determine the extent to which county-level indicators in combination with individual and dyadic factors are associated with sexual violence across relationship types. Reported IPSV and NIPSV cases were obtained from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's (TBI) online incident-based reporting system. County-level variables indicative of neighborhood physical disorder, violent crime, income inequality, firearm prevalence, and community alcohol use patterns were retrieved from the online resource County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. Using a nested case-control design, we determined significant sexual violence risk within younger cohorts and across relationship types, finding three significant county-level factors: 1) income inequality, 2) rate of firearm fatalities, and 3) percentage of female residents. Suggested prevention and intervention efforts include targeting younger age groups for IPSV and NIPSV education, developing resources for a range of relational partners, improving legal access and law enforcement training for reporting, and continued examination of the role of firearms.
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Pandian RK, Allendorf K. The Rise of Sonless Families in Asia and North Africa. Demography 2022; 59:761-786. [PMID: 35275160 DOI: 10.1215/00703370-9815547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A neglected consequence of declining fertility is the likely rise of families with children of one sex-only sons or only daughters. Increases in such families present important demographic shifts that may weaken patrilineal family systems. We assess whether sons-only and daughters-only families rose in Asia and North Africa from the early 1990s to around 2015. Using 88 surveys and two censuses, we examine how the number and sex composition of children of mothers aged 40-49 changed across 20 countries, representing 87% of the region's population and 54% of the global population. We also compare observed trends to sex-indifferent counterfactuals, quantify contributions of fertility declines with decompositions, and investigate subnational trends in China and India. Increases in sons-only families were universal where numbers of children fell. Growth of daughters-only families was suppressed in patrilineal contexts, but these sonless families still rose significantly in 13 of 18 countries where numbers declined. By 2015, over a quarter of families in the region had only sons and nearly a fifth only daughters. There was considerable variation across countries: recent levels ranged from 28.3% to 3.4% daughters-only and from 40.1% to 6.0% sons-only. China and the rest of East Asia had the highest shares.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Keera Allendorf
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Filser A, Stadtmüller S, Lipp R, Preetz R. Adolescent school injuries and classroom sex compositions in German secondary schools. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:62. [PMID: 35012484 PMCID: PMC8751068 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12370-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND School injuries are an important adolescent health problem. Previous research suggests that relevant risk behaviors for school injuries, risk-taking and aggression, are highly susceptible to peer effects. Specifically, evidence suggests that the ratio of men and women in peer groups (sex ratio) affects individuals' propensity for aggression and risk-taking. However, potential associations of classroom sex ratios with adolescent school injury risks have not been studied so far. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association of classroom sex compositions with adolescent school injuries. METHODS We investigate the association of classroom sex ratios with school injuries in a longitudinal survey dataset containing 13,131 observations from 9,204 adolescent students (ages 13-16) from secondary schools in Germany. The data also allow us to identify injuries due to aggressive behavior and analyze these injuries in detail. We use multilevel logistic regression models to analyze risks of both overall and aggression-related school injuries. RESULTS Adolescent students' risk for school injuries is significantly and positively associated with male-skewed classroom sex ratios (OR = 1.012, p=0.012). Specifically, the risk of sustaining a school injury increases by 33.5 percent when moving from the 10th to the 90th classroom sex ratio percentile. Moreover, we find an even stronger positive association between male-dominated classrooms and aggression-related injury risks (OR = 1.022, p=0.010). Compared to classroom sex ratios at the 10th percentile, the risk of an aggression-related injury is 78 percent higher in classrooms with a sex ratio at the 90th percentile. Finally, we find that both boys' and girls' injury risks equally increase with a higher proportion of male students in their classroom. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that sex composition of classrooms is an important contextual factor for adolescent school injuries, in particular school injuries resulting from aggression. These findings illustrate the need to integrate a contextual perspective on school injuries among adolescent students both into research and into intervention planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Filser
- Institute for Employment Research (Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, IAB), Nuremberg, Germany.
| | - Sven Stadtmüller
- Research Centre of Demographic Change (FZDW), Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Robert Lipp
- Research Centre of Demographic Change (FZDW), Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (FRA-UAS), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Richard Preetz
- SOCIUM Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Native American Age at Death in the USA. JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS, RACE, AND POLICY 2022; 5:194-209. [PMID: 35300314 PMCID: PMC8894124 DOI: 10.1007/s41996-021-00095-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
There are persistent disparities in mortality rates between Native Americans and other groups in the USA. Public-use mortality data severely limits the ability of researchers to examine contextual factors that might explain these disparities. Using restricted-use mortality microdata, we examine the relationship between geographic location, specific causes of death, and age at death. We show that Native American women, on average, die 13 years earlier than White women; Native American men, on average, die 12 years earlier than White men. These disparities are largest in the northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states. The disparity in age at death is in part due to Native Americans dying from diseases at younger ages than White Americans. Native American women and men die younger and more often from homicide in counties with persistently higher White male to female ratios. Native American men also die younger and more often from homicide when White male to female ratios increase within their county over time. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41996-021-00095-0.
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South SJ, Han S, Trent K. Imbalanced Sex Ratios and Violent Victimization in Mexico. POPULATION RESEARCH AND POLICY REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11113-021-09667-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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11
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Filser A, Preetz R. Do Local Sex Ratios Approximate Subjective Partner Markets? : Evidence from the German Family Panel. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:406-433. [PMID: 34146244 PMCID: PMC8321994 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09397-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sex ratios have widely been recognized as an important link between demographic contexts and behavior because changes in the ratio shift sex-specific bargaining power in the partner market. Implicitly, the literature considers individual partner market experiences to be a function of local sex ratios. However, empirical evidence on the correspondence between subjective partner availability and local sex ratios is lacking so far. In this paper, we analyzed how closely a set of different local sex ratio measures correlates with subjective partner market experiences. Linking a longitudinal German survey to population data for different entities (states, counties, municipalities), we used multilevel logistic regression models to explore associations between singles’ subjective partner market experiences and various operationalizations of local sex ratios. Results suggest that local sex ratios correlated only weakly with subjective partner market experiences. Adult sex ratios based on broad age brackets, including those for lower-level entities, did not significantly predict whether individuals predominantly met individuals of their own sex. More fine-grained, age-specific sex ratios prove to be better predictors of subjective partner market experiences, in particular when age hypergamy patterns were incorporated. Nevertheless, the respective associations were only significant for selected measures. In a complementary analysis, we illustrate the validity of the subjective indicator as a predictor of relationship formation. In sum, our results suggest that subjective partner availability is not adequately represented by the broad adult sex ratio measures that are frequently used in the literature. Future research should be careful not to equate local sex ratios and conscious partner market experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Filser
- Institute for Social Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, D-26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
| | - Richard Preetz
- Institute for Social Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, D-26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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Filser A, Barclay K, Beckley A, Uggla C, Schnettler S. Are skewed sex ratios associated with violent crime? A longitudinal analysis using Swedish register data. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Treleaven E, Pham TN, Nguyen AD, Diamond-Smith N. The list experiment: An approach to measuring stigmatized behaviours related to sex-selective abortion. Population Studies 2021; 75:363-380. [PMID: 33792524 DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2021.1900589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Vietnam reports one of the highest levels of abortion globally and an increasingly skewed sex ratio at birth. Abortion and related stigmatized behaviours are notoriously difficult to measure, yet understanding women's ability and willingness to engage in sex selection is of interest to demographers and policymakers alike. We piloted the list experiment, an indirect questioning method, to estimate the prevalence of prenatal sex determination and sex-selective abortion. Respondents reported the total number of items they had engaged in from a list, reducing non-response and incentives to under-report. Among 900 women sampled at two hospitals in Hanoi, we estimated a high prevalence of prenatal sex determination. We found a low prevalence of sex-selective abortion, but higher prevalence among specific parity and children's sex composition subgroups. Responses to knowledge and attitudinal questions underscored women's perceived stigma around sex-selective abortion, suggesting the list experiment is a potentially useful tool for studying son preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Treleaven
- University of Michigan.,University of California, San Francisco
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Allendorf K. Another Gendered Demographic Dividend: Adjusting to a Future without Sons. POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW 2020; 46:471-499. [PMID: 35692437 PMCID: PMC9182717 DOI: 10.1111/padr.12337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sonless families may pose another gendered demographic dividend. As fertility declines, families with only daughters are likely to grow. In turn, patriarchal family systems may weaken when many families are unable to engage in patriarchal practices. I examine some of these theorized dynamics in India. Sonless families did grow as fertility declined, reaching 10 percent in India as a whole in 2015 and approaching 20 percent in states with earlier fertility declines. I also identify a substantial influence of children's sex on mothers' expectations of old-age support. Using panel data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), I compare women's expectations after they had children to earlier expectations when they did not yet have children. Women with sons kept or further embraced patriarchal expectations that a son would provide support. Sonless mothers largely gave up patriarchal expectations, turning to daughters or away from children altogether.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keera Allendorf
- Associate Professor of Sociology and International Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Gender preference among post-natal women for the next child: A study from coastal south India. CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cegh.2019.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Catalano R, Casey JA, Bruckner TA. A test of oscillation in the human secondary sex ratio. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 2020:225-233. [PMID: 33376596 PMCID: PMC7750984 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoaa012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Background and objectives The sex ratio of human birth cohorts predicts the health and longevity of their members. Most literature invokes natural selection in support of the argument that heritable tendencies to produce male or female offspring induce oscillation in the sex ratio and its sequelae. Tests of the argument remain exceedingly rare because they require vital statistics describing many generations of a population both unaffected by migration and exposed to an exogenous stressor virulent enough to change the sex ratio at birth. We contribute to the literature by using time-series modeling to detect oscillation in the best data currently available for such a test. Methodology We apply rigorous time-series methods to data describing Sweden from 1751 through 1830, a period when the population not only aged in place without migration, but also exhibited the effects of an Icelandic volcanic eruption including a historically low secondary sex ratio. That very low sex ratio should have induced oscillation if heritable mechanisms appear in humans. Results We detected oscillation in the ratio but not that predicted by heritable tendencies to produce males or females. We found peak-to-trough oscillation at 14 rather than the approximately 32 years expected from the heritable tendencies argument. Conclusions and implications Our findings suggest that mechanisms other than perturbation of heritable tendencies to produce males or females induce oscillation in the human secondary sex ratio. These other mechanisms may include reproductive suppression and selection in utero. LAY SUMMARY The male to female ratio in human birth cohorts predicts longevity but its variation over time remains unexplained. We test the long-held theory that the ratio oscillates due to heritable tendencies to produce males or females. We find oscillation, but it appears due to social processes rather than heritable mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Catalano
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joan A Casey
- Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tim A Bruckner
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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