How does the preference for sons impact the mental well-being of women in rural India?

Here’s an interesting study regarding Indian women’s preference for sons and its impact on mental health:

The researchers surveyed a sample of married women of reproductive age and their co-residing mother-in-law in Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh. When there was more than one daughter-in-law in the household, they included the youngest woman. They collected socioeconomic and demographic data, as well as information on mental health using a survey that screens for the risk of depression and anxiety.

They found the strongest effects on the mother-in-law’s mental health; on average, they had a 15% lower risk of depression or anxiety when their daughter-in-law had a firstborn son. These results are equivalent to other findings measuring the effect of inheritance reforms or pension programs that provide added security for older women, Herrera-Almanza noted.

The researchers did not find any effects for the daughters-in-law overall, but when they broke down the results by age group, they found that risk of mental health consequences increased as women grew older.

“For the mother-in-law, having a grandson is a relief at any age. For the daughter-in-law, as she gets older and her reproductive horizon is closing, it is much more stressful not to have a son,” Herrera-Almanza said.