MEDIA EFFECTS ON GENDER CHILD PREFERENCE IN INDIA
MEDIA EFFECTS ON GENDER CHILD PREFERENCE IN INDIA

Summary/Abstract: We used medium theory and social cognitive theory as a framework for our examination of the role of media (television, radio, newspapers) on son preference attitudes among women in India. We analyzed data from a large-scale representative sample of 84,609 participants. Multinomial logistic regressions showed a unique contribution of media after controlling for sociocultural and economic predictors. Watching television every day and reading newspapers every day considerably lowered the odds of a strong son preference. We also probed the media’s influence through interactions. The interaction of watching TV every day and the participants’ region in reducing strong son preference was significant for the North but not for the South region. The findings suggest a need to conceptualize and explore the relationship between media and equal son preference, and media and strong son preference.

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