Masculinity, Son Preference & Intimate Partner Violence

A preference for sons over daughters has a detrimental impact on womens and girls health and well being. It also affects society by driving gender-biased sex selection resulting in a skewed ratio of females to males at birth in favor of males. This report presents the findings of a large-scale study that examines men’s and women’s underlying attitudes and behaviors around son preference with a particular focus on how they conceptualize manhood and masculinity. The study was conducted in seven Indian states (Haryana Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha Punjab Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) involving more than nine thousand men and three thousand women aged 18-49. The study identified key factors that influence men’s views about masculinity as measured by their support for gender equality and control of women’s behaviour and how these views impact on their preference for sons and perpetration of intimate partner violence.