title: Parental status and gender preferences for children: is differential fertility stopping consistent with the trivers-willard hypothesis?
abstract: Based on evolutionary reasoning, Trivers & Willard (1973) predicted status-biased sex composition and parental investment with son-preferencing effects in higher, and daughter-preferencing effects in lower status groups. Previous research shows mixed results. This study uses event-history methods and Swedish register data to study one possible mechanism in isolation: do parents in different status groups vary in their proclivities to continue fertility based on the sex composition of previous offspring? The results show no support for the Trivers-Willard hypothesis on a wide range of different status indicators. Future research on the stated hypothesis should focus on physiological rather than behavioural mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolk
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schnettler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003906:Developing Countries; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012743:Sex Preselection; D012744:Sex Ratio; D063507:Sexism; D012924:Social Conditions; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult