Gender Preference: Are Girls More 'In Demand'?

One of the first questions expecting couples are asked is whether or not they're going to find out the gender of their baby. Years ago, couples had to wait until baby's birthday to find out the gender, but today's technology can show the sex of a baby as early as 12 weeks, providing the baby is in the correct position. And thanks to gender prediction kits and the endless girl/boy quizzes on the internet, moms- and dads-to-be are kept plenty busy guessing their baby's gender in those early months.

Even though these tools are all in good fun, some worry that parents are becoming too obsessed with gender. And it's not just gender prediction kits that parents are relying on, but sex selection kits as well. There are a variety of methods that parents can attempt in order to manipulate their baby's gender. Some techniques can be done at home and include eating certain foods and following the mom's ovulation cycle. Other techniques are more involved and include separating the X and Y sperm from each other in a medical facility.

What is most interesting is that the doctors that provide these services report that couples more commonly request girls over boys. There have also been interesting reports that claim girls are the preferred sex in American society, being referred to as "boys plus". Perhaps this is because girls have shifted their roles in society. They can hold full time jobs. They can play sports. They can make it to the top of the corporate ladder. And they can do it all while looking pretty.

I don't necessarily think that one gender is preferred over the other, but instead that women are more vocal about gender preference. Even though most men dream of having a son, they better accept not having one than women do if they don't have a daughter. Most men just move on and hope to have an athletic daughter, which is perfectly acceptable in today's society. Women on the other hand, can't buy their sons a dollhouse or arrange their hair in bows. Because of this, women without daughters often feel they have to grieve a "loss" in their lives.

I've also noticed that many moms want their daughters to have sisters. You don't hear much about the brotherly bond, but the sisterly one is considered to be sacred. Once again, this stems from moms being vocal about gender preference. And in a society where most couples only have two children, it has never been more important to manipulate the gender of a baby, since couples feel they only get "two tries".

Gender has always played an important role in society, so it's difficult to expect parents to ignore this important factor. After all, gender shapes the individual beyond just trucks and dolls. And because women place more importance on relationships than men do, they're often the ones that wish for the mother-daughter bond and the sister-sister bond. At the end of the day, we can all agree that happy and healthy is always most important yet gender preference will always place a close second.