The desire for a son could mean Nepali mothers stop breastfeeding infant daughters sooner, says new research.
Girls in Nepal are breastfed for fewer months than boys on average, with girls with older sisters but no brothers being the most disadvantaged, says the study.
And this shorter breastfeeding time is linked to a greater risk of death for Nepali infants in the study.
‘Gender, Nutritional Disparities, and Child Survival in Nepal’ by Dr Jasmine Fledderjohann, of Lancaster University, and Dr Melanie Channon,from the University of Bath, is published in the journal, BMC Nutrition, today.
And, says the study, the desire to have a son may influence breastfeeding duration because if a woman has not had a son, she may feel greater pressure to try to conceive again in the hopes of having a boy.
The researchers explain that breastfeeding has a known contraceptive effect, and women who want to try for another child may stop breastfeeding sooner than women who are not trying to conceive again.
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