Boys Top Baby Gender Preference Poll

People in the U.S. show a slight baby gender preference for having a boy instead of a girl if they were only able to have one child.

That's according to a new Gallup poll on baby gender preferences.

The telephone poll, conducted in June, included about 1,000 U.S. adults. They were asked: "Suppose you could only have one child. Would you prefer that it be a boy or a girl?"

Here are the participants' baby gender preferences:

Boy: 37%

Girl: 28%

Either/doesn't matter: 26%

Not sure/no opinion: 9%

The "either/doesn't matter" choice wasn't mentioned as an option by the pollsters. But more than a quarter of the participants expressed that view anyway.

Participants also heard a list of possible reasons for their baby gender preference.

Among those who favored boys, the top reasons were that men can relate to boys better than to girls, boys can carry on the family name, and boys are easier to raise.

Among those who favored girls, the leading explanations were that mothers can have closer relationships with daughters, they already had one or more daughters, and that girls are easier to raise than boys.

Men were more likely than women to prefer boys, but women didn't show a similar preference for girls, according to Gallup.

The Gallup baby gender poll began in 1941 and has been conducted occasionally over the last 66 years. Throughout that time, participants have consistently favored boys over girls, given the hypothetical one-child-only limit, though the strength of that preference has waxed and waned over the years.


By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.
? 2007, WebMD Inc. All rights reserved

[michellem99-2009]

I always felt that way. Boys we need them too. You can't dress a boy up. That is for females. Aint she cunnin,I am a Maine born. Cunnin means cute,adorable.Use to have a real heavy downeast accent and lost most of it due moving. Anyway a child's gender should not picked just she may be having a boy. Maybe next time the girl will come into the family. All babies are cunnin.

[erasmus6]

MichelleM99

You are right! GIRLS DO RULE!!

[michellem99-2009]

My name never cause any pain. It was trying to run away hope the abuse would go away. HA It did not I wrot your anwser in my computer note book where I print stuff. I would never take Mums name, I was given Father's. I am 52. I favour girl babies, I could not have children. Girls rule. OH OH the boys might like that. Girl and boy babies are brought up differently. Boys are needed.One should pick the gender as that is choosen by the father thot he don't realise it.

[erasmus6]

Yup, I think that when women get married they should keep their own last name. If they have a daughter, on the birth certificate they should put their own last name.

[oleander8]

"don't names go back the father's line
and DNA testing goes back the mother's line?" [Posted by Hermit22]

That isn't really realistic for tracing your ancestry - if you can't trace a name back - where do you get the DNA from? Besides, who has Oprah's assets?

Men want a son to "carry on the name" - women should want the same. Maybe that would make boys and girls desirable.

[erasmus6]

MichelleM99

Because they took your name away as a foster child, that is the very reason you should take it back. It is your name, it is who you are! You are Barbara Ann M. No one has the right to take away your name.

Of course that is only my opinion. If your name causes you distress then obviously you wouldn't want to do it.

[michellem99-2009]

Boys we took care oare of did not want to use the toilet and their Mums would have to bring extra clothes as their sons would not use it. If a baby was born in their home,than he would not use the toilet and that is the war tone.
It is different for a child who can't walk. Those boys could walk. They were lazy when a new born entered the family unit.

[michellem99-2009]

Girls sit to potty. So do boys as their is a gaurd in place so when first use it to be sure they use it and NOT the the area, then later use the big boy's toilet and and stand to do his business. Alan was 4 and still wearing a nappy. I was 18. I changed him. At 4 ,he should been using toilet not a nappy. His sister younger was potty trained. He was too lazy or his Mum would not train him. I told him to use the toilet and I had no idea if he got trained or not. As the Mum couldn't pay so she have to take of them. I am the one whe helped My then Foster Mum lose the day care license she abused the kids. One mother aksed me and I told her the truth. By license as she lost it. Iwas still in high school a jr, 11 grade.

[michellem99-2009]

I was raised in foster homes. I was moved from home to home. Eash foster Mum would call me by the nane she choose to and at school I had to use the name Dad gave me. I was bared from using Barbara Ann M. in the homes. I was not allowed to see my parents. And I did not know their names. True I didn't.In the homes any things with my birth name was taken from my things. It messed me up to the piont I did not know what name to answer. I was told lies about my people whom I don't know. I was pissed. So I went to court and had it changed. My friend would stopped me from doing so had he known. That was the only time I ever lied to my best friend. Am I sorry YES, I wished I never did it. Michelle I took when I became Catgolic so therefore my legal fisrt name. I have thot about having my name legally changed back to my birth name so family could fine me as that is the name know me as. I don't know if I should.

[tom_gwynn]

Boys are definitely easier. If you have a boy, you only need to worry about one boy. All you folk with daughters... you have to worry about *all* the boys. :)