The Journal of Heredity 1979:70(1):67-69
© 1979 The American Genetic Association 70:67-69
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Desired family size and sex of children in Botucatu, Brazil
The authors are, respectively, professor of agriculture and dean of the Graduate College, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky 42101; professor de genetica, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas e Biologicas de Botucatu, Universitide Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, S
o Paulo, Brazil; and graduate student, Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University. Sincere appreciation is expressed to many Botucatu students for providing the data
Abstract
During 1977–78, 715 unmarried college students at the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil, were surveyed for their preferences for family sizes and combinations and permutations of sexes of children. The most preferred family size by both male and female respondents was two children. A slightly lower proportion of respondents preferred a family size of three children. Average size of the desired families was approximately 2.76 children, The most preferred combinations of sexes were one male, one female; one female, two males; and two females, two males, respectively, in families of two, three, and four children. Preferred permutations of sexes were those in which the first child was male and subsequent children resulted in an alternation of sexes.