In their study Desire for children in Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan: son preference and perceived instrumentality for value satisfaction, published in 2001, Nuran Hortascu, Sharon S. Bastug, and Ovezdurdi B. Muhammetberdiev (Center for Research on the Black Sea Region and Central Asia and Middle East Technical University in Turkiye) investigated the sentiment surrounding the importance of having children in Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. They concluded that Turkmen people tend to hold much more traditional views regarding having children and they tend to prefer male children over female children more than Azeris.
The Study and Methods
- The researchers used a sample of 228 women and 176 men from Ashgabat, in addition to 355 women and 240 men from Baku, Azerbaijan.
- 98% of Turkmen respondents were married (in their first marriages). None of the respondents were married to each other.
- In the Turkmen sample, the men tended to be more educated than the women.
- The educational level overall was higher in the Azeri sample than in the Turkmen sample.
- The researchers gave the participants a series of questionnaires regarding various topics relating to marriage and children.
- Questions covered topics such as number of children desired, importance of children in marriage, timing of first child, and gender preference.
- The questionnaires also asked questions about how children enhance the values of financial security, acceptance/esteem by others, having a good time/enjoyment of life, spousal intimacy, not being alone/having friends, feeling of accomplishment in life, remembrance after death, and continuation of family name, in addition to asking how important the respondents felt these values to be.
Results
- The Turkmen respondents generally preferred having sons over daughters.
- Larger percentages of Turkmen respondents preferred having a son as a first child rather than a daughter.
- Turkmen men tended to prefer sons as the oldest child more than the women did.
- Turkmen respondents perceived sons to be more valuable than daughters in furthering financial security, acceptance, enjoyment of life, spousal intimacy, future friends, sense of accomplishment, remembrance after death, continuation of family name.
- Turkmen people saw children in general as a crucial component of family life and they are generally desired soon after marriage. This is consistent with the traditional clan-based family model of the Turkmen Oguz family.
- Turkmen men desired a greater number of children than Turkmen women.
- However, Turkmenistan has been experiencing a decline in birth rate over the past 20 years. This is most likely due to attempts at increasing the status of women in society over the years.
- Overall, the study indicated that urbanization and status of women may be associated with both number of children desired and with gender preference.
