Gender disappointment

Gender disappointment is the feeling of sadness parents experience when the desire for a child of a preferred sex is not met.

This theory suggests that a patriarchal kinship system, prevalent in Asian countries, generates a strong preference for a certain gender, in casu a son.

Such system considers sons as "harbingers of prosperity and daughters as liabilities who require significant outlay of resources through their lifetime".

[citation needed] Needless to say these factors favour the birth of boys and generate gender disappointment in case the newborn is a girl.

Research shows that for example in countries like India, parents are more likely to allocate resources, such as time and money, to their sons rather than to their daughters resulting in better access to vaccination[13] and healthcare.

Opening up, in group or one-to-one, and sharing the negative emotions resulting from gender disappointment, can help reduce the feelings of shame.