THUNAIHow bad is our cultural preference for a boy child on mother's wellbeing? There have been a few studies that have tried to assess the impact on the mother's health as well as that on the child.
India has seen the female child to male child ratio (called the sex ratio) decline consistently over the last century. This is indicative of the preference for the male child. But it is not a India only phenomenon and is prevalent in many Asian and African cultures.
If a woman's first child is female, then there is pressure on her to produce a son. She engages in risky reproductive behaviours that potentially leads to higher maternal mortality. For instance, one study showed that women with a first-born girl significantly more likely to (1) have a greater number of children; (2) desire more children; (3) reduce spacing between the first and the second birth; and less likely to (4) use contraception?
In bigger cities in India such as Chennai, it is likely that this pressure is present in a subtle form. Therapists and social workers can address this anxiety by talking about it with the mother and father and if needed, with the larger family.