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Implicit sex preferences: a comparative study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

J. R. Goody ,
C. J. Duly ,
I. Beeson  and
G. Harrison
J. R. Goody
Affiliation:
Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge
C. J. Duly
Affiliation:
Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge
I. Beeson
Affiliation:
Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge
G. Harrison
Affiliation:
Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge
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Summary

This paper extends the analysis of sibling groups from Ghana (Goody et al., 1981) by a comparison with seven sets of data from various parts of the world. Sex preference is analysed from the actual holdings of children, taking into account the numbers and sequence of sexes by which the family is built up. The hypothesis examined is that sex preferences are related to general socioeconomic factors and in particular to differences between extensive and intensive systems of primary production. The results suggest that such preferences are shown in the holdings of completed families, though their effects are of small magnitude and they vary from society to society.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , October 1981 , pp. 455 - 466
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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References

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