Parents' preferences for mixed-sex children: motivations, fertility behavior, and psychological well-being

This dissertation uses nationally representative data from the National Survey of Families and Households toaddress the overarching question: ―For what reasons and with what consequences do people incorporate a preference for ̳at least one boy and one girl‘ into family formation ideals?‖In the first analysis, I evaluate three potential psychosocial frameworks motivating the mixed-sex ideal. Results support a ―separate spheres‖ ideology, through which parents may view the interests, traits, skills, and roles of boys and girls in families as very different. Second, results support a rational choice orientation, whereby achieving this goal maximizes having a variety of one‘s needs met in old age. Third,it may be motivated by its symbolic capital as a status marker, representing the image of a ―balanced,‖ ideal family. Based on beliefs about the non-substitutability of boys and girls, this ideal represents a form of gender inequality that persists in families. In the second analysis, I use discrete-time event history to associate individuals‘ statements about valuing a mixed-sex composition with odds of having a third child, accounting for within-couple differences on this preference.Couples with same-sex children did not have higher odds of a third birth than those with mixed-sex children. Furthermore, the degree to which couples valued having a mixed-sex composition did not matter more for those with same-sex children. Although couples with the strongest subscription to the mixed-sex ideal had significantly higher odds of a third birth than those with the lowest among couples with two boys, the effect of this pattern is too small to play a significant role in determining third births. In the third analysis, I examinewhether unfulfilled ideals for a mixed-sex composition are associated with negative psychological consequences among mothers. Results show that the sex composition of children was not associated with psychological well-being. Furthermore, women who valued a mixed-sex composition but did not obtain it did not report more depressive symptoms, poorer life satisfaction, or less satisfaction with family life than those who did not value the mixed-sex ideal. I discuss implications of findings for gender, families, psychological health, and ethical debates about sex-selection technologies.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Colleen Nicole Nugen