Does Son Preference Influence Children's Growth in Height? A Comparative Study of Chinese and Filipino Children

Shige Song, University of California, Los Angeles

We compare children's growth trajectories in height in China and the Philippines, two countries with very different histories of child gender preference. Our goal is to assess the effect of son preference on gender differences in physical development. We use data from the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) longitudinal study and the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS). By adopting a multilevel growth modeling approach, we take advantage of the panel design of both the CHNS and the CLHNS. The combination of individual growth modeling methodology and repeated measure data makes it possible to deal with measurement errors as well as a variety of additional interesting research questions.