Americans continue to express a preference
to have boys rather than girls. If given a choice to have only one child, the majority of respondents would choose to have
a boy; findings are consistent with previous results over the past 66 years, according to Gallup.
The gender preference question is posed in
a manner that does not include the “no preference” choice; it is up to the respondent to offer that answer. When
asked, “Suppose you could only have one child. Would you prefer that it be a boy or a girl?” over one-third (35
percent) of respondents stated that the sex of the baby would not matter, that they did not know, or that they had no opinion.
However, the majority of respondents (65 percent)
did state a preference, with 37 percent preferring to have a boy, and 28 percent favoring a girl. This reveals a nine point
“gender gap” between male and female preference. This year’s results revealed a surprising finding: percentage
points nearly mirrored those from the first poll, conducted back in 1941, when 38 percent of respondents favored having a
boy versus 24 percent expressing preference for a girl, with 38 percent maintaining no preference.
Sugar and spice and all things nice has repeatedly
lost out to snips and snails over the years. In the entire time that the poll has been conducted, girls have never won the
majority, though the narrowest gender preference gap in poll history presented itself in 1990, when there was only a four
point difference favoring males over females (38 versus 34 percent, respectively).
Why the consistent male favoritism? Nearly
one-quarter (23 percent) of respondents expressing a preference for a boy maintained that “men can relate better to
boys/have more in common” than with girls. The second most popular explanation involves family lineage: one-fifth (20
percent) of respondents cited the ability of a boy to pass on the family name. Seventeen percent of these respondents argued
that boys are “easier to raise” than girls. Nine percent of these respondents stated that they would prefer a
son because they already had a daughter or daughters (although the question was posed as a hypothetical “only child”
scenario).
Those respondents that expressed a preference
for a girl also had their reasons, remarkably similar to those cited by the other group, yet in reverse. As is the case with
boys, same-sex identification between parent and child plays a role; one-fifth (20 percent) stated that they preferred a daughter
because “mothers can relate/have a closer relationship with daughters.” Seventeen percent of these respondents
maintained that they would prefer a girl because they already have daughter(s) (again, though the question was posed as an
only child scenario). Fourteen percent argued that girls are easier to raise than boys (a mere three point difference from
the 17 percent who claimed boys are easier to raise). Nine percent stated that they would rather have a girl because they
already have a boy or boys.
Overall, the preference for male babies may
be explained due to the stronger level of identification men have with boys. Results indicate that women do not find gender
identification as necessary in terms of sex preference. (Though women do express a preference for girls, the numbers are not
statistically significant). While women are more evenly split in their preferences for a boy or girl (31 percent versus 35
percent, respectively), men convey a stronger split favoring boys over girls (45 percent versus 21 percent). However, men
and women were nearly even in the “no preference” category, 27 percent versus 25 percent, respectively.
Interestingly, preferences also revealed age
differences between the respondents. Younger males (between 18 and 49 years old) and older males (over age 50) are equally
strong in their preference for a male baby, but there is a split among females. Older females (over age 50) expressed a greater
preference for a female baby than did younger women (18 to 49), who are just as likely to prefer a boy or a girl.