Around the world, parents have typically preferred to have sons more than to have daughters, and U.S. parents have been no different. But there are signs that’s changing. It may be because there’s less bias against girls, and possibly more bias against boys.

Gallup surveyed Americans 10 times from 1941-2011, and their answers remained virtually unchanged: If they could have one child, 40 percent would prefer a boy and 28 percent a girl (the rest showed no preference).

在世界各地，父母通常喜歡生兒勝過生女，美國父母也不例外。不過，有跡象顯示情況正在改變，可能是因為對女孩的成見少了，也可能是對男孩的成見多了。

蓋洛普公司從1941年到2011年，對美國民眾做過10次調查，回答都差不多：問到如果只能有一個孩子時，40%美國人較希望是男孩，28%希望是女孩，其餘表示男女都好。

A new study, however, measured that preference in a different way. While having a daughter versus a son used to make U.S. parents more likely to keep having children, theoretically to try for a son, now the opposite is true: Having a daughter makes it less likely that they keep having children. Some data from adoptions and fertility procedures that allow parents to choose the sex of their baby also shows a preference, to varying degrees, for girls.

First- and second-generation U.S. immigrants, the new study found, continue to show a preference for sons. They are more likely to keep having babies after having a daughter — particularly if they are from countries with less gender equity and lower female labor force participation.

不過，一項最新研究以另一種方式衡量父母對孩子的性別偏好。在過去，家中已有一個女孩的美國父母更可能繼續生，理論上是為了生個兒子，而如今的調查結果卻正好相反：已有一個女兒的父母反而不太可能繼續生了。一些允許父母選擇孩子性別的領養和生育治療資料也顯示，多數人偏好女兒，只是程度不同而已。

這份最新研究顯示，美國第一、第二代移民仍偏愛兒子，他們在生了一個女兒後更可能繼續生孩子，如果他們來自性別較不平等且女性勞動參與率較低的國家，就更是如此。

Across cultures, the bias against daughters has been closely tied to women’s second-class status. Sons have been more likely to be successful, carry on the family name and earn money to support family members in old age.

But the status of women in the United States has undergone a revolution in the last four decades. Women still face deep inequality and sexism, but they are now more likely to pursue rewarding careers and have a greater role in family decision-making. They are also more likely to be college graduates than are men.

Men without college degrees are struggling in the modern job market, which rewards brains more than brawn. And teenage boys and men are almost entirely the bad actors in certain crises the nation is facing, like mass shootings and sexual harassment. The diminishing preference for sons could indicate, among some parents, a growing bias against boys.

在各種不同的文化中，重男輕女與女性的次等地位密切相關，兒子較有可能功成名就，延續家族姓氏，並賺錢以扶養家中老人。

但美國女性地位在過去40年已經歷革命性改變，儘管她們仍面臨嚴重的不平等和性別歧視，但如今已更可能追尋令人滿意的職涯，並在家庭決策上更具分量。此外，如今美國女孩比男孩更可能成為大學畢業生。

在重視腦力甚於體力的現代就業市場上，沒有大學學歷的男性很吃虧，另外，在某些轟動全美的危機，如大規模槍擊和性騷擾案中，犯案的幾乎全是青少年與成年男性。美國父母對兒子的偏愛減弱，可能意味一些父母對男孩的成見越來越深。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/325066/web/