Son Targeting Fertility Behaviour in Albania
利用2008-2009和2017-2018年人口健康调查数据，发现阿尔巴尼亚家庭在末胎生育男孩比例更高，且无男孩家庭会缩短生育间隔，危害母婴健康。
The collapse of communism led to highly skewed sex ratios in Albania, which had a long patriarchal tradition before the advent of communism. While the use of sex-selective abortions in the region is well-known, little is known about other forms taken by revealed son preference, such as differential stopping behaviour and birth spacing. Pooling data from the Demographic Health Surveys in 2008–2009 and 2017–2018, we find evidence of a higher proportion of boys being born at the last birth, indicating that parents practice differential stopping behaviour. Using a logit model, we also show that in sonless households parents shorten the birth intervals significantly, endangering mothers’ and children’s health. We conclude that differential stopping behaviour and short birth spacing are prevalent in all regions and across the socio-economic spectrum.