Confucianism and The Persistence of Son Preference

Abstract

This paper investigates the cultural origins of son preference in China. I hypothesize that Confucianism, with its emphasis on filial piety and male lineage, may have contributed to the persistent preference for sons. To test this hypothesis, I use a unique dataset of the number of Confucian academies at county level from 1271 to 1800, normalized by the 1953 population at each county, and examine its relationship with sex ratio at birth at county level in 2020. My results suggest a strong positive correlation between the two, providing evidence that Confucianism may have played a role in shaping son preference in China. My results are further confirmed by exploiting both the distance of a county from Zhu Xi academies and a quota system which was introduced in 1425 by Emperor Yongle to restrict the number of presented scholars from each prefecture.