Son preference Among Mothers in Mosul, Iraq

Introduction: Son preference is a form of gender discrimination based on the belief that girls are inadequate and of lesser value than boys. It affects couples' fertility and may act as an obstacle to fertility decline. Aim: The study is aiming for estimating prevalence of son preferences among mothers in Mosul, Iraq and detecting its relation with actual and desired parity. Subjects and Method: Cross-sectional study was achieved in Mosul, Iraq. Inclusion criteria were "currently married mothers who consulted one of the primary health care centers. Results: The study interviewed 1761 mothers who their mean age was 36.3 years and ranged 15-79 years. More than half of them (54.1%). Most of them were Muslims (93.9%) and Arabs (83.7%). The study reported 338 mothers preferred to have only sons (making prevalence of son preference as 19.2%).It was significantly associated with having or desire to have high parity (22.8%, 0.01 and 29.2%. p=0.000). Social and economic gains were the most motivations (82.2%, 17.8%) for preferring sons. Conclusions: Two out of 10 mothers in Mosul prefer to have only sons for mainly social welfare.