ABSTRACT This paper examines how extreme heat affects fertility behavior among rural households in China. Using nationally representative survey data from the 2010–2015 waves of the CGSS, we show that greater exposure to harmful degree days (HDD) during the growing season significantly reduces households' fertility intentions—measured by the ideal number of children—and also lowers actual fertility. The evidence suggests that extreme heat depresses agricultural income and raises child‐rearing costs, consistent with a quantity–quality trade‐off. We further find that extreme heat weakens son preference. Importantly, adaptation measures such as agricultural insurance and crop diversification help buffer these adverse effects. These findings highlight the need for climate‐adaptation policies to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on demographic behavior in developing regions.

Back pain is caused and driven by a complex interplay of multiple factors, including cultural background. In healthcare, patients from culturally diverse backgrounds may face barriers such as language difficulties and a lack of cultural sensitivity, which can exacerbate health disparities. How do patients with culturally diverse backgrounds and back pain experience an interpretation intervention combining video interpretation, extended consultation time, and interdisciplinary collaboration? This qualitative study was conducted at a Danish medical spine clinic. Participant observation and previous research informed the semi-structured interview guide. Individual interviews were conducted with seven patients from culturally diverse backgrounds (four women, aged 30-62years, representing three different countries) with interpreter support. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic network analysis. Patients reported that video interpretation facilitated communication and respected cultural values and assumptions, with some women highlighting the importance of interpreter gender choice. The extended consultation time provided a clear structure, reinforced communication, enhanced disease-related knowledge, and supported patients' expectations. Finally, interdisciplinary collaboration further strengthened communication and disease-related knowledge, aligned care with patients' expectations, and contributed to a coherent structure, while emphasising the need to balance structured consultations with opportunities for patient expression. This study provides novel insights into how organisational adaptations support culturally responsive, person-centred management. Integrating video interpretation, extended consultation, and interdisciplinary collaboration promotes equitable care, enhances patient engagement, and highlights the value of organisational health literacy. Future improvements include involving patients in choice of interpreter and ensuring space for patient expression.

It remains unclear whether agreement contexts are essential for grammatical gender selection during lexical access to nouns. Studies using the picture-word interference (PWI) paradigm address this by asking participants to name pictures with bare nouns while ignoring distractor words and by examining the gender congruency effect (GCE: faster responses for gender-congruent target-distractor pairs). However, results are inconsistent. We propose that the paradigm masks early lexical effects, leading to erratic response time findings; therefore, we combined the PWI task with EEG. Response times showed no GCE, but ERPs revealed it for masculine nouns, with larger early (80-190ms) and mid-latency (N400) amplitudes in the incongruent condition. A main gender effect (slower responses and larger P600 for feminine nouns) suggested a higher cognitive demand for the feminine. These results indicate early gender retrieval without agreement for gender transparent nouns, challenging the PWI's suitability for detecting behavioral early gender effects.

BackgroundMaternal health in at-risk communities is a significant public health issue, especially in areas characterized by socio-economic and healthcare inequalities. This study aims to uncover the multiple factors that influence maternal well-being in Morocco, providing insights for targeted interventions and policy development.MethodsAn interpretive grounded theory approach was employed, combining in-depth interviews, observations and constant comparative data analysis. Participants (n= 69, aged 17-49) were recruited from six provinces across five main regions, representing diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultural contexts, and healthcare systems.ResultsThe analysis identified four main categories explaining the interactions and interrelations of factors shaping maternal and reproductive health. First, childbirth and postpartum maternal healthcare experiences reveal contrasting realities between home and hospital births, marked by fear, neglect, obstetric violence, and the critical role of family support. Second, cultural practices and beliefs strongly shape perceptions of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care, sometimes providing protection and other times reinforcing harmful traditions. Third, maternal health dynamics in the societal context highlight systemic barriers to healthcare access, the weight of sociocultural expectations, and the compounded burden of rural living. Finally, women's reproductive autonomy and family size underscore limited decision-making power, ambivalence toward contraceptive use, son preference, and contraceptive misinformation. Together, these categories illustrate the complexity of relationships between socioeconomic status, access to healthcare services, education, cultural beliefs, and social support networks, which emerge as important determinants of maternal and reproductive health outcomes in Morocco.ConclusionsBy amplifying their voices and perspectives, this research advocates for holistic, equitable, and empowering approaches to maternal healthcare. The findings underscore the need for interventions tailored to local contexts, based on a thorough understanding of the determinants of maternal health.

Human sex ratios at birth (SRBs) shape population composition and are closely linked to maternal health and gender discrimination. In the context of environmental change, SRBs may theoretically be skewed by physiological or behavioral responses to exposure to extreme heat. However, evidence for this is limited. In this study, we estimate the effect of prenatal exposure to temperature on birth sex by linking survey data on 5 million live births in 33 sub-Saharan African countries and India with high-resolution temperature data. To distinguish between spontaneous and induced abortions, we exploit sociodemographic differentials, exposure timing, and regional differences in son preference. We find that days with a maximum temperature above 20 °C are negatively associated with male births in both regions. In sub-Saharan Africa, we observe fewer male births after high first-trimester temperature exposure, consistent with increased spontaneous abortions from maternal heat stress. This is particularly true for births by mothers in rural areas, with little formal education, and for higher birth orders. By contrast, in India, we find that second-trimester temperature exposure is associated with fewer male births, consistent with reductions in induced sex-selective abortions. As expected, these reductions are concentrated in high birth orders and older mothers. We also find large reductions in male births by sonless mothers in northern Indian states, where son preference is greater. These findings demonstrate that heat exposure harms maternal health, increases prenatal mortality, and influences family planning behavior, leading to a complex effect on SRBs.

Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART) like IVF and surrogacy have really changed the way people in India face infertility. Although in 2025, India handles over 200,000 IVF cycles each year. The paper examines into those challenges through the lens of ethics, real court cases, and the latest laws. In keeping with this, The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, established laws for hospitals, make registration mandatory, and ban commercial surrogacy. Still, ethical problems haven’t gone away. There’s constant debate should embryos be used in research or just discarded. Is consent truly informed in egg donation or surrogacy, or are poor women getting the worst of it? Unofficial sex selection persists, even though the 1994 PCPNDT Act bans it, and this pushes a troubling “better babies” mindset. Indian surrogacy laws draw a hard-line single people, LGBTQ+ peoples, and foreigners get shut out. That’s sparked lawsuits from people fighting for the right to build families on their own terms. Cases like Baby Manji Yamada (2008) and Jan Balaz (2010) dragged issues like citizenship and parental rights into the spotlight, while recent 2025 court rulings on age limits show the legal landscape isn’t standing still. This article deals with where the laws fall short and pushes for reforms fairer access, tighter oversight, and strong ethics that actually line up with the rights promised in Articles 14, 15, and 21 of India’s Constitution. If India wants a just future for families, it needs to strike the right balance between cutting-edge tech and real fairness. Keywords: Informed Consent, Embryo Ownership, Surrogacy Laws, Genetic Privacy, Parental Rights, Bioethics.

Abstract Most of China's fertility decline predates the famous One Child Policy — and instead occurred under its predecessor, the Wan Xi Shao, or Later, Longer, Fewer (LLF) campaign. Studying LLF's contribution to fertility and sex selection behavior, we find that LLF i) reduced China's total fertility rate by 0.95 births per woman (explaining 30.6% of its fertility decline), ii) doubled the use of male-biased fertility stopping rules, and iii) promoted postnatal selection (implying 180,000 previously unrecognized missing girls, or 19% of the total during our study period). Considering Chinese population policy to be extreme in global experience, our paper demonstrates the limits of population policy — and its potential human costs.

Efficiency of magnetic-activated cell sorting using Y-specific monoclonal antibodies on the quality of porcine sexed semen.

This study examines the influence of different social, economic and demographic ‎factors that culminates into son preference among scheduled tribe and non- scheduled tribe found ‎in Kokrajhar district of Assam. Data were collected from a household survey of currently ‎married women of reproductive age group 15-49 years using multi-stage sampling method. ‎Cross tabulation, Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was carried out for finding out ‎relationships between the socio-economic and demographic variables on son preference. ‎Findings show that son is important for old age security reasons among scheduled tribe people ‎and for legacy continuation in case of non- scheduled tribe. The percentage distribution of son ‎preference by selected characteristics depicts that son preference is high among the non- ‎scheduled tribe as compared to scheduled tribe. Logistic regression shows that the type of family, ‎use of Contraceptives and educational level of women play a significant role on son preference ‎among scheduled tribe and type of family, educational level of husband and religion of husband ‎has the significant affect on son preference among non- scheduled tribe. The findings of the ‎study reveal that son preference is an important indicator of fertility differentials in Kokrajhar ‎district‎.

Sperm sexing is a technique that enables the selection of offspring sex by sorting spermatozoa based on their sex chromosomes. This technology has gained increasing attention due to its potential applications in both animal breeding and human-assisted reproduction. In livestock production, sperm sexing offers substantial economic and genetic benefits, including increased milk production in dairy cattle, improved meat yields in beef cattle, and the prevention of sex-linked genetic diseases. In human reproduction, sex selection techniques may support family balancing and reduce the risk of transmitting hereditary disorders. Commonly used methods, such as flow cytometry and density gradient centrifugation, have been progressively refined to enhance sorting efficiency and accuracy. Despite its advantages, sperm sexing presents technical limitations and raises ethical concerns, particularly regarding its societal implications and the welfare of embryos selected through assisted reproductive technologies. This review summarizes current sperm sexing methods and their applications in animals and humans, highlights existing challenges, and discusses future directions for technological advancement. The development of safer, more effective, and ethically acceptable approaches may further expand the role of sperm sexing in sustainable animal production and personalized reproductive medicine.

ABSTRACTObjectiveNon‐invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can determine fetal chromosomal sex early in pregnancy, raising the possibility of sex selection. However, current evidence regarding this practice is limited. Our objective was to assess the sex ratio at birth (SRB) among a cohort of infants born following NIPT from a single laboratory provider in Victoria, Australia (2014–2018).MethodThe NIPT dataset was linked with Victorian birth records. SRB and estimated relative risk of the birth of a male infant based on maternal major region of birth, parity and maternal age were calculated. An SRB was considered outside the natural range if the point estimate and 95% confidence interval were outside 1.04–1.06.ResultsThe final dataset for analysis contained n = 43,665 NIPT records. The majority (88.5%, n = 38,631) were linked with a birth record. The overall SRB was within the natural range (1.05, 95% CI 1.029–1.071). Confidence intervals for all maternal major regions of birth, parities, and maternal age categories overlapped with the natural range. There was an increased estimated relative risk of a male birth for mothers born in Southern and Central Asia compared with mothers born in Australia (RR: 1.049, 95% CI 1.005–1.096, p = 0.03).ConclusionWe did not find evidence of an overall skewed SRB among a cohort of Australian NIPT users. However, our findings warrant larger studies on NIPT use and possible sex selection practices.

Every child has the fundamental human right to life-saving healthcare, including vaccination. Yet in India, this right is less accessible to girls in households shaped by son preference, a deep-rooted cultural bias that devalues girl children. While immunization prevents millions of deaths each year, girls are less likely to be fully vaccinated-not due to biological need, but because of gender-based discrimination in the allocation of time and care within the home. Using nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5; 2019-21), we analyzed a sample of 20,899 girls aged12-23 months. Full vaccination (BCG, three doses of DPT, three doses of polio, measles) was the outcome. Maternal son preference was the key exposure. We employed a four-stage generalized linear model (GLM) with a log link to estimate adjusted relative risks, progressively controlling for child, maternal, and household variables. Fairlie decomposition analysis was conducted to quantify the extent to which these characteristics explain the observed vaccination gap between girls and boys. Girls in son-preferring households had significantly lower vaccination rates (70.8% vs. 76.9%). The GLM showed a consistent negative association between son preference and vaccination across all models; however, it became non-significant (ARR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97-1.02) after full adjustment. Fairlie decomposition analysis revealed that 84% of this gap was statistically explained by factors such as birth order (21%), antenatal care (ANC) visits (29%), and household wealth (21%), which were the largest contributors. The remaining 16% was unexplained by unmeasured cultural norms. Interventions should target girls of higher birth order, those in the poorest households, and those born to mothers with low education. Strategies could include leveraging antenatal care visits to deliver gender-sensitive health messaging and expanding the role of community health workers (CHWs) and Anganwadi teams for door-to-door monitoring. Closing the remaining 16% of the unexplained gap demands confronting cultural norms, ensuring that every child-regardless of birth order or family wealth-has an equal right to protection.

Abstract Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the common indications for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) at a regional fertility and genetic center in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of all PGT cycles from 2019 to 2023 at Nisa Premier Hospital Fertility and Genetic Center, Abuja Nigeria. Anonymous records of all in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients and PGT cycles were extracted from the hospital’s registry. Statistical analysis was with the Excel Microsoft software and Epi Tools (Version 2.0) for medical and veterinary epidemiologist. URL: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/epiR/index.html. Chi-square test was used to analyze statistical association between categorical variables and P value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was a total of 503 PGT out of a total 1622 IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles for a PGT rate of 31%. PGT for aneuploidy (PGT-A) constituted 413 cases (82.1%) of PGTs and PGT for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) composed 90 (17.9%) of PGTs while PGT-A&M combined constituted 3.4% of PGTs. Mean age of the women for PGT was 38.08 years ± SD 6.97 and they represented most of the Nigerian ethnic groups. Most of the women (53.3%) had tertiary level of education. The major indications for PGT-A were recurrent pregnancy loss 87 (21.1%), recurrent implantation failure 87 (21.1%), and gender selection 259 (62.7%). The PGT request for male embryos was 251 while PGT request for female embryos was eight giving a male to female gender request ratio of 96.9%:3.1%, respectively. The major indication for PGT-M was sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) (94.4%). Conclusion: The major PGT indications at the fertility and genetics center were HbS and gender selection. The high demand for male gender selection through PGT, calls for future research or policy recommendations especially in terms of increasing PGT awareness and access in Nigeria.

Abstract This paper examines how different measures of son preference—stated son preference, sex ratios at birth, and implied son preference—capture varying degrees of fertility control and gender discrimination. Using data from India, I show that states with high sex ratios at birth and implied son preference (i.e., continuing childbearing until a son is born) engage in sex selection, while states with high stated son preference do not. However, female infants in high stated son preference states experience higher infant mortality rates, a pattern not observed in states with high sex ratios or implied son preference. States with high sex ratios and high implied preference also had excess female mortality before the widespread use of ultrasound in India, suggesting that the rise in sex selection has contributed to closing these gaps. To formalize this relationship, I define the unwanted girls ratio as the difference between desired and actual sex ratios at birth, which increases with higher stated son preference but decreases with sex selection. States with higher unwanted girls ratios have greater levels of excess female mortality. The paper highlights that linking specific measures of son preference to sex selection helps explain why some measures correlate with gender health gaps while others do not.

Abstract This paper examines how sex ratios affect household commercial pension demand in a patrilocal society. Exploiting the cross‐county variations in sex ratios, we estimate the sex‐ratio effects on parental pension decision‐making in the first‐son families relative to the first‐daughter ones. We find that a one‐standard‐deviation increase in the local sex ratio would decrease commercial pension take‐up by 1.08 percentage points, or 51.6 percent, for parents with a firstborn son compared with those with a firstborn daughter. We also observe similar patterns in the premium contribution of commercial pensions. Mechanism analyses suggest that the pension disparity by the first child's gender is attributed to external financial support and intensive competition caused by oversupplied men in the marriage market.

More than one-third of South Asian women of reproductive age experience mental health issues during the perinatal period. We aim to systematically summarise existing evidence to conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence and key risk factors for perinatal depression in South Asia. We searched across multiple databases for prospective studies that reported the prevalence of perinatal depression and associated risk factors among women in South Asian countries. We performed a meta-analysis of estimates of the prevalence of perinatal depression-related outcomes and associated risk factors (odds ratios) using random-effects models. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. The systematic review and meta-analysis included 29 studies published between 2015 and 2024. The overall pooled prevalence of perinatal depression was 28% (95% CI: 24% to 32%; I2=95.1%, p≤0.001). The prevalence varied widely by country, where the pooled prevalence of perinatal depression was highest in Bangladesh (46%) and lowest in Sri Lanka (15%). Son preference was identified as a risk factor for perinatal depression (OR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.6-4.2, I2=26%). Lack of family support, unwanted pregnancy, women's history of health problems, and poor economic conditions were key predictors of perinatal depression. The prevalence of perinatal depression in South Asian countries is high and caused by a combination of multiple risk factors. Targeted intervention, particularly on social norms around son preference and family support, is probably effective in addressing perinatal mental health risks during pregnancy and postpartum periods.

This paper analyzes the demand based causes of gender discrimination in the labor market and it aims at explaining the currently existing gender gaps in terms of labor market participation and labor income. I propose a formal model to analyze the gender discrimination that individuals face at work due to taste-based discrimination. I study the effects of discrimination on the labor market participation, income, and utility distributions and compare these effects between the female and male sectors of the society. I show that the conditions that dissipate the gender gaps improve efficiency as well. However, in order to reach a first best it is necessary to eliminate all kinds of gender related idiosyncratic preferences that are based on stereotypes and conscious and unconscious biases.

Lasem batik is one of the prestigious cultural products of Rembang Regency, with distinctive motifs including Sekar Jagad, Latohan, and Watu kricak. Lasem batik faces an existential crisis due to declining interest among the younger generation in preserving it. Various efforts have been made, one of which is by academics who have made Lasem batik a research topic by adapting digital technology as a representation of the lives of the younger generation. The most basic preservation of Lasem batik can begin with the introduction of motifs through fashion, in line with current trends. This became the basis for the author to conduct exploratory research on Lasem batik motifs through the Fitting Tool application based on Augmented Reality technology. Both have been applied in the fashion industry, but have never been applied to Lasem batik motifs. This research uses a Research and Development method that is oriented towards innovative product development and descriptive presentation. Data collection was conducted through observation, interviews, and documentation at the Lasem Batik Cooperative, supported by a literature review of journals and books on Lasem batik. The main result of this research is the "ARBatula" application prototype, which simulates an Augmented Reality-based fitting tool to display Lasem batik motifs on 3D fashion through markers with several features such as gender selection, motif selection, and mode selection. The results of this research are expected to attract the attention of the younger generation in an effort to preserve the existence of Lasem batik through a technological and fashion approach.

With a Total Fertility Rate of 3.6 and a population growth rate of 2.55%, Pakistan’s fertility transition has been relatively slow, hindering progress towards achieving many of the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets. This paper examines the role that son preference plays in determining the desire for additional children. Among other factors, this desire for another child is largely influenced by women’s ideal number of sons, which in turn, shapes their future fertility-related decisions and behavior. Using data from the 2017-18 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), we employed logistic regression on 9,674 currently married women to examine whether son preference influences the desire for an additional child. The empirical evidence suggests that women whose ideal number of sons is 2 or 3+ are 1.27 and 2.01 times more likely, respectively, to desire another child compared to women with a lower ideal number of sons. We also examined the role of the number of living children in shaping future fertility behavior and found that even among women with four or more living children, the desire to continue childbearing remained high among those with a larger number of ideal sons. The findings suggest that investments in female education and women’s empowerment (SDGs 4 and 5), along with promoting women’s employment (SDG 8) and strengthening social security systems that support older persons, could help reduce the high demand for sons in the country.

Nepal is yet to experience much disparity between the indigenous people of Nepal, which is even although national development is shifting to family planning. The primary research is to identify the demographic and socio-economic factors with respect to the ever-use of the contraception method. This research demonstrates the differences in the use of contraceptive methods in the ever-use amongst Danuwar women of Godawari Municipality-8 (Dukuchap), Lalitpur. A cross-sectional survey of 289 women carried out in 2025 was conducted to assess the relationship between the use of contraception in the past and the variables, including age, education, employment, knowledge, son preference, income, migration, and intentions to have children. 78.3 percent of the women had ever used contraception. The use of contraceptives rose with age (58.8% 15-24 years, 76.3% in 25-34 years, and 85.3% in 35-49 years; chi2=5.92; p=0.052). Knowledge of modern methods had a very high association with the use (83.8% vs. 15.4; 2=32.86; p 0.001). Son preference (χ 2 =9.06, p=0.003), perceived government policy support (χ 2=7.60, p 0.006), and fertility intentions (2=6.89, p=0.009) were significantly predicted. The impact of income was nearly strong. The study is important to the current body of knowledge in that the author offers community-level evidence that, despite an effect of socio-economic status on contraceptive use, awareness, gender norms, fertility intentions, and policy support are dominant influences in influencing contraceptive use among an understudied indigenous population in Nepal. The use of contraception mostly depends on awareness, age, gender norms, fertility intentions, and even support through policies. Culturally sensitive gender-responsive interventions are needed to aid in the realization of FP 2030 and SDG 3.7 goals in marginalized communities.