Sex Ratio at Birth in Nepal and Differential in Stopping Rule behaviour: an Application of Stopping Rule in Human Fertility Model

Despite a wide range of studies on determinants of increased sex ratio of population in Asia, little attention has been given to the role of the stopping rule in human fertility. This paper explores the hypothesis that the stopping rule has an impact on the sex ratio of last births (SRLB). We have used a new method to quantify such impact and to estimate the SRLB. This method includes a model to measure the parity stop ratios (PSR) at the male and the female last births. The hypothesis is tested using data from latest Nepal demographic health survey. The results of the model clearly present a huge impact of differential in stopping rule behaviour on sex ratio at birth. When we consider normal SRB 105, the estimates of sex ratio at last births are varying between SRB 120 to 108 across the different parities. However, we consider, differential in stopping rule in human fertility model, the sex ratio at last births are highly skewed towards male children which varying between SRB 309 to 127 across the different parities.