I knew it!

If you're a girl, your John McCain-voting, High School drop out daddy's gonna be mighty pissed. (Image via Wikipedia)

Biddy came across a Gallup poll on Americans’ gender preferences for babies. Surprisingly, we are in the good company of China, India and some lesser-developed countries that place a premium on the Y chromosome. 40% of Americans would rather have a boy, 28% a girl, 26% have no prefence and the rest have no clue.

The most interesting aspect of this survey is not that it illustrates that the West cannot always assume that their cultures are superior to that of other regions of the world (although this proves they can’t). It is the fact that there is a solid correlation between political affiliation and…gender, and the expressed preference for a boy baby.

Basically, if you are a man, a Republican, identify yourself as conservative or have no more than a bachelor’s degree, you are more likely to prefer a boy than if you are a woman, a Democrat, identify yourself as liberal or have a Post-graduate degree. Surprised? I’m not.

As a female, liberal Democrat with a Master’s Degree, it’s nice to learn that I belong to the group with the most nuanced views on baby gender.

This survey is important, because it shows how much work there still is to be done to erase stereotypes about women and girls that could be driving this preference. Gallup references the population disparities between males and females in countries where this preference has been actively managed in birth practices. China and India are experiencing a shortage of females and with the current availability of technology for engineering gender in fetuses, the US may experience a similar shortage in generations to come.

On the one hand, I feel the need to speak out against practices that could favor the birth of boy babies over the girl babies. On the other hand, I think about the excellent dating prospects of my great-great-great-great-great-great grand daughter, assuming she is born heterosexual.

Maybe this gender preference thing is not so bad after all.

Related articles

• http://www.gallup.com/poll/148187/Americans-Prefer-Boys-Girls-1941.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=USA
• Even in the United States, dads prefer baby boys (theglobeandmail.com)
• Boy? Girl? Now You Can Decide, but Should You? (psychologytoday.com)
• The worldwide war on baby girls (20114l.wordpress.com)
• Boy or Girl? Why Do More Americans Prefer Male Children? / Alter Net (protectivemothersalliance.wordpress.com)