Son Preference Among the Edwardian Middle Classes

22 Pages Posted: 25 Nov 2015

See all articles by Quentin Outram

Quentin Outram

Leeds University Business School (LUBS) - Division of Economics; University of Leeds - Faculty of Business

Date Written: January 1, 2015

Abstract

This paper reports on a line of investigation into the child gender preferences of a sample of British civil servants working in London around 1901. Child gender preferences have rarely been investigated in developed countries and the historical literature for the UK is remarkably sparse. The paper demonstrates sufficient evidence for son preference among these parents to make the topic merit further investigation. The present author is unable to carry this out himself and hopes instead that by publicizing this research somebody more youthful than he will be encouraged to take on this project. It is an interesting, even an important, topic and one that is relatively easy (though time-consuming) to undertake.

Keywords: gender, preference, Edwardian, son

JEL Classification: J13

Suggested Citation

Outram, Quentin, Son Preference Among the Edwardian Middle Classes (January 1, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2694948 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2694948

Quentin Outram (Contact Author)

Leeds University Business School (LUBS) - Division of Economics ( email )

Leeds LS2 9JT
United Kingdom

University of Leeds - Faculty of Business ( email )

Leeds LS2 9JT
United Kingdom

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