title: Son Preference in Pakistan; A Myth or Reality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze desire for sons/daughters among ladies of Peshawar, Pakistan, with a view to rule out son preference and to study impact of various demographic characteristics on the subject.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar, from August 2015 - January 2016; sampling technique was random/probability/non-purposive. Self-designed questionnaire was utilized; carrying questions pertinent to desire for sons/daughters during marital life, and demographic details. Data analyzed via descriptive analysis (SPSS-21), expressed as frequencies/percentages and mean ± standard deviation(minimum/maximum). Sons and daughters desired (dependent variables) were cross-tabulated with independent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Response rate was 63.25% (n-506). Data revealed following: Sons desired 3.05±2.061(1/12); Daughters desired 1.15±0.767(0/4); 6.1%(n-31) and 0.6%(n-3) desired infinite number of sons and daughters respectively, 18.2%(n-92) did not desire to have even one daughter, while 2.2%(n-11) considered it immaterial to have daughters or sons. There was a significant relation between sons desired and client's education (p<0.001), husband's education (p<0.001) and socioeconomic class (p<0.001). There was no significant impact of religion (p-0.142) on desire for sons. Impact of independent variables on daughters desired was similar but less pronounced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was candid son preference among the respondents. Gender discrimination can be attenuated by adequately addressing son preference at all tiers.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Khaula Atif, MBBS, MCPS, DPH, DMA. Department of General Administration, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Khaula
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Atif
authors.affiliation: Dr. Muhammad Zia Ullah, MBBS, MCPS, MSc. Department of General Administration, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad Zia
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.affiliation: Dr. Afeera Afsheen, MBBS, MCPS, FCPS. Department of Gynecology. Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Afeera
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afsheen
authors.affiliation: Dr. Syed Abid Hassan Naqvi, MBBS, FCPS, FRCS, MS. Department of Ophthalmology, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Syed Abid Hassan
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.affiliation: Dr. Zulqarnain Ashraf Raja. MBBS, MSc. Department of General Administration, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zulqarnain Ashraf
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Raja
authors.affiliation: Dr. Saleem Asif Niazi, MBBS, MCPS, FCPS, Department of ENT, Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Peshawar, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Saleem Asif
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Niazi
keywords: Female Discrimination. Gender Preference; Sex-ratio-at-Birth (SRB); Under-developed countries