Sex composition of children, parental separation, and parity progression: Is Finland a Nordic outlier?

Abstract

Background: Previous studies that have studied parental gender preferences for children have analysed either divorce or parity progression. We use Finnish register data that make it possible to study both events by following the same couples with children over time. Objective: Our aim is to examine how the sex composition of children relates to parental separation and continued childbearing, considering that within the same institutional context both aspects likely reflect gender preferences for children. Methods: We perform parity-specific Cox regressions where parity progression and separation (divorce and split up, respectively) are treated as two competing events. Results: Our results suggest that, in the 1970s and early 1980s, there was a parental boy preference in Finland, which makes the country different from its Nordic neighbours. Both the risks of divorce and continued childbearing were higher among couples with only girls than among those with only boys. This difference had attenuated considerably since the 1970s, and was practically non-existent in the 1990s. Complementary analyses of married and cohabiting couples' risk of splitting up and continued childbearing support the conclusion. © 2014 Jan Saarela & Fjalar Finnäs.