Born into Imbalance: Gender-Specific Associations Between Son Preference Culture and Adolescents’ Body and Weight Control

• In Event: Asia and Asian American Section Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 6: Asia and Asian America Section Roundtable - Gender

Abstract

A male-skewed sex ratio at birth was highly prevalent in Korean society until the late 2000s, with national average sex ratios of 110.3 male births per 100 female births between 1990 and 2010. This demographic imbalance was largely driven by strong son preference norms that shaped fertility decisions during this period. Using a nationally representative sample from the 2008-2023 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey and national vital statistics, this study examines the association between son preference - measured by the year and region of sex ratio at birth, body image, and body weight distortion, as well as weight control efforts among adolescents who were born during the critical periods. The findings reveal a gender-specific pattern in the association between son preference and the likelihood of overestimating weight among adolescents. As the sex ratio at birth of the regions that they live in during adolescence was heavily skewed toward male births, girls were more likely to believe that they were overweight/obese even though their weight is normal/underweight, while boys were less likely to do so. In terms of weight control efforts, relative to making no effort, both girls and boys are more likely to engage in weight loss efforts when they live in regions with stronger son preference. While the positive association is stronger among boys than girls, the difference is modest. Conversely, for weight gain and weight maintenance efforts, the associations with the culture where male children are valued more than female children differ by gender: in regions with a surplus of male births relative to female births, boys tend to pursue weight gain and maintain their weight, while girls are less likely to do so. These results underscore that the consequences of these demographic imbalances, deeply rooted in son preference culture, extend well beyond birth and continue to shape adolescents’ health behaviors and self-perceptions during their formative years. The study can contribute to the literature by highlighting the gendered impact of discriminatory cultural norms on adolescents’ health.

Author

• Soojin Han, University at Albany, SUNY