Background: Skewed sex ratio is an issue of major concern and has long-term social and demographic consequences.
In India, the preference for a son is very strong. The preference for a male child and discrimination against the female
child are causing the rapid disappearance of female children in India. The main objective was to study the gender
preference among rural married women in reproductive age group.
Methods: A community based cross sectional study on 220 rural married women of age group 15 to 49 years was
carried out in Vishnupuri village of Nanded district in Maharashtra state, India. Information regarding gender
preference, expected number of male or female children, awareness regarding PCPNDT act etc. was asked. A
predesigned semi structured questionnaire was used for data collection.
Results: Out of 220 study subjects, majority of women i.e. 209 (95%) said that they will prefer male child as first
issue. 105 (47.7%) women said that they expect children in 1male:1female proportion, followed by 2males:1female
proportion by 42 (19.1%) women. 130 (59.1%) have heard about PCPNDT act and not a single women tried for sex
determination during her ANC period.