Sons Over Daughters: The Gender Bias That Won’t Go Away

Sunday, as I sat in church, a woman stood up to share her testimony. With tears in her eyes, she spoke about how, after fifteen years of waiting, God had finally blessed her with a child.

The applause and shouts that followed left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

I know you might be wondering, “Why would I be bitter over someone’s joy?” I can explain.

This woman was thanking God, not just for a child, but for a son.

The thing is, she already had three daughters. Three. Daughters. Yet, in her eyes, it might as well have been none. Society had made her believe that no matter how many daughters she had, she would still be considered “childless.” And, unfortunately, she had internalized this belief.

I couldn’t help but wonder how those three girls felt watching their mother cry and kneel in front of the congregation, thanking God for “finally blessing her with a child.”

It’s big 2025, and yet the worth of daughters still pales in comparison to sons.

A global obsession with sons

The preference for sons is not some isolated phenomenon. It’s a global issue. You’d think in this modern age, things would have changed, but it’s still so prevalent in many parts of the world.

In China, the now-defunct One-Child Policy made the preference for sons a matter of survival, not just tradition. Families were limited to one child, and in a culture where sons carry the family name, this led to desperate and horrifying measures. Female fetuses were often aborted, and baby girls were sometimes abandoned or even killed.

Today, China faces a gender imbalance that has left over 30 million men without potential partners. Entire villages are full of “bare branches,” men who are unable to marry or have children.

The Life Cycle of Bare Branch Families in China---A Simulation Study

China is and will be characterized by a large number of men who are unable to marry: these men are often referred to as…

The church pews echoed with applause as the woman praised God for her “miracle” son, her three daughters sitting silently beside her. Their mother’s tears of gratitude for a boy underscored a painful truth: in 2025, daughters still battle an ancient prejudice that measures their worth against sons. This moment was not just a family’s private joy—it was a mirror reflecting a global crisis.

The Daughters Left in the Shadows

Imagine the quiet ache of those three girls, witnessing their mother’s celebration of a son as divine validation. Studies show that children internalize parental favoritism deeply: daughters in son-preferring cultures often report lifelong feelings of inadequacy, depression, and strained sibling relationships. In India, where dowry deaths and female infanticide persist, researchers found that girls raised in son-centric households are 30% more likely to devalue their own potential.

A Crisis With Many Names

China’s “bare branches”—the estimated 30 million men who may never marry due to gender imbalance—are a stark example of systemic son preference. The One-Child Policy (1979–2015) exacerbated this, with sex-selective abortions and abandoned girls creating a demographic time bomb. But China isn’t alone:

India: 63 million women are “missing” from the population due to gender-biased practices.

Pakistan: Sons inherit land; daughters inherit debt (dowries).

Armenia: Despite bans, sex-selective abortions have skewed ratios to 114 boys per 100 girls.

Even in “progressive” nations, subtle biases linger. In the U.S., studies reveal parents are twice as likely to Google “Is my son gifted?” than “Is my daughter gifted?”

Why Sons Still Rule

The roots are both cultural and economic:

Patrilineal Systems: Sons carry family names and inherit property.

Elder Care: In nations without social safety nets, sons are old-age insurance.

Dowry Violence: In South Asia, daughters’ marriages can bankrupt families.

Yet these explanations ring hollow in 2025. Women lead Fortune 500 companies, outpace men in education globally, and drive economies. The persistence of son preference isn’t just tradition—it’s a failure to dismantle patriarchal systems.

The Ripple Effects of “Missing” Women

Gender imbalance isn’t a victimless statistic. Societies with surplus men face:

Rising Crime: Unmarried men correlate with increased violence and trafficking.

Bride Shortages: Cross-border trafficking of women has surged in China and India.

Economic Strain: Aging populations lack caregivers, as daughters traditionally fill this role.

Breaking the Cycle

Change is possible—but it requires systemic action:

Legal Reforms: Vietnam and South Korea criminalized prenatal sex selection, reducing skewed birth ratios.

Economic Incentives: In Rajasthan, India, girls receive scholarships and stipends to offset dowry costs.

Media Campaigns: South Korea’s “Love Your Daughter” ads reversed birth ratios from 116:100 (1990s) to 107:100 today.

A New Narrative

Back in the church, those three daughters deserve a world where their worth isn’t an afterthought. They deserve mothers who celebrate their voices, societies that invest in their futures, and faith leaders who preach that daughters, too, are miracles.

As the congregation applauded, I whispered a prayer—not for the son, but for the daughters. May they grow up in a world that finally sees them.

Call to Action:

Educate: Challenge gender-biased narratives in your community.

Support: Donate to NGOs like Girls Not Brides or UN Women.

Amplify: Celebrate stories of daughters’ achievements loudly.

The road to equality is long, but every daughter’s life depends on it.