The lowest index of the male-child preference is in Yerevan, then in Syunik. The marriage couples of the capital and the region of Syunik are easier about having female children than, say, residents of Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, and Kotayk. This difference between regions in the preference for male children can be noticed even in the case of three children. The UN Population Fund Report on Sex Imbalances at Birth in Armenia asserts that the well-off give up on repeated pregnancies aiming at having a male child and prefer selective artificial termination of pregnancies to avoid undesirable sexual composition of the family. The results of the survey carried out among the populations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia show that in response to a question “If there is one child in the family, what sex will you prefer?” Armenia is the country with the most respondents stating about male-child preference. In response to a
question which number of children in the family was ideal, 50% of Armenian families surveyed said that the ideal number was two.
The only positive side to male-child preference in our country is that couples’ not having a male child increases the probability of having another child, thus contributing to an increase in birth rates. However, the studies of the Population Fund showed that the families longing for having a male child follow certain “seizure rules” after having the child to stop pregnancy.
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
Photo by https://www.blog.twinklephoto.com
