Fertility Behavior, Desired Number and Gender Composition of Children: The Philippine Case

Christian Joy P. Cruz, University of the Philippines
Paolo Miguel Vicerra, University of the Philippines

This study contributes to the comprehension of the stall in fertility decline in the Philippines by examining the interconnections between fertility behaviour, fertility preference, women’s desired gender composition of children and selected socio-economic factors. Utilizing data from the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey, this paper employs multivariate analysis to assess these interconnections. Results reveal that that there is no gender preference in the country because a great majority of Filipino women prefers to have children of both sexes. There is also evidence of a relationship between fertility, fertility preference and the desired gender composition of children. Furthermore, disparities have been observed by type of residence and geographical location. These interconnections are evocative of an attitude among women to have more children until they reach the desired sex composition of their offspring which impacts on the fertility decline in the country.