This measure uses 10 self-reported items from the second round of the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) Women's Questionnaire. IHDS is a nationally representative, multi-dimensional survey conducted across India. This measure captures gender differences in fertility preferences. Navigational aspects (i.e. skip-out patterns and next question sequences) have not been included on this page but can be viewed on the original questionnaire here.
Geographies Tested: India
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. Do you want to have any more children (in addition to the child you are now carrying)?
Response Options:
No
No, sterilized (or husband)
Not fertile anymore
Yes
Unsure
2. How many more children do you want to have (in addition to the child you are now carrying)?
Response Options:
________ [Children]
Until a son
Until a daughter
Up to god
3. When would you want your next child to be born – within two years, after 2 years, or do you not have a preference?
Response Options:
Within 2 years
After 2 years
Up to god no preference
4. Now, I would like to ask you about the number of children your husband wants to have (aside from the child you are now carrying). Does your husband want to have more children?
Response Options:
No
Yes
Unsure
5. How many more children does your husband want?
Response Options:
________ [Children]
Until a son
Until a daughter
Up to god
6. When would your husband want your child to be born – within two years, after 2 years, or does he not have a preference?
Response Options:
Within 2 years
After 2 years
Up to god no preference
7. If you could go back to the time you did not have any children and could choose the number of children to have in your life, how many would that be?
Response Options:
________ [Total]
8. How many sons?
Response Options:
________ [Sons]
No sex pref
9. How many daughters?
Response Options:
________ [Daughters]
No sex pref
10. IF CHOOSES AN EQUAL NUMBER OF BOYS AND GIRLS: And if you happened to have one more child, would you want that extra child to be a boy or a girl?
Response Options:
Boy
Girl
No preference
Not Applicable
Desai, S., & Vanneman, R. (2015). India Human Development Survey-II (IHDS-II). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. https://doi. org/10.3886/ICPSR36151. v6.
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