Sex ratios at birth in Australia according to mother's country of birth: A national study of all 5 614 847 reported live births 1997-2016.
PLoS One
; 16(6): e0251588, 2021.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34170929
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Son preference and sex selective practices have resulted in a deficit of girls in several countries, primarily across Asia. Emerging evidence indicates that son preference survives migration to Western high-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess male-to-female (M/F) ratios at birth per mother's country of birth in Australia 1997-2016, in total and by parity, and by states/territories and over time.METHODS:
Data for this national population-based cross-sectional study were obtained from the National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC) and included all live births in Australia 1997-2016 (N = 5 614 847). M/F ratios with 95% Confidence Intervals were estimated.RESULTS:
The M/F ratio for births to Australian-born mothers was within the expected range (1.03-1.07) regardless of parity and time period. M/F ratios were elevated above the expected range for births to mothers born in China in the total sample (M/F ratio 1.084, 95% confidence interval 1.071-1.097) and at parity 2 (1.175, 1.120-1.231), and for births to mothers born in India at parity 2 (1.146, 1.090-1.204). Parity 2 births were the most consistently male-biased across time. Across states, elevated M/F ratios were identified for both groups in New South Wales (China parity 2 1.182, 1.108-1.260; India parity 2 1.182, 1.088-1.285), for births to Chinese-born mothers in Victoria (total births 1.097, 1.072-1.123; parity 1 1.115, 1.072-1.159) and Australian Capital Territory (total births 1.189, 1.085-1.302) and births to Indian-born mothers Western Australia (parity 2 1.307, 1.122-1.523).CONCLUSIONS:
Son preference persists in some immigrant communities after migration to Australia. The consistent pattern of elevated M/F ratios across the larger states indicates that sex imbalances at birth are largely independent of restrictiveness of local abortion laws. Drivers and consequences of son preference in Western high-income settings should be explored to further promote gender equality, and to strengthen support for women who may be vulnerable to reproductive coercion.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Razón de Masculinidad
/
Parto
/
Madres
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
/
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
PLoS One
Asunto de la revista:
CIENCIA
/
MEDICINA
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Australia