Islamic Inheritance Law, Son Preference and Fertility Behavior of Muslim Couples in Indonesia

This paper examines whether the son preference and fertility behavior of Muslim couples respond to the risk of inheritance expropriation by their extended family. According to traditional Islamic inheritance principles, only the son of a deceased man can exclude his male agnates from inheritance and preserve his estate within the nuclear household. The paper exploits cross-sectional and time variation in the application of the Islamic inheritance exclusion rule in Indonesia: between Muslim and non-Muslim populations affected by different legal systems, across men with different sibling sex composition, and before and after a change in Islamic law that allowed female children to exclude male relatives. The analysis finds that Muslim couples more affected by the exclusion rule exhibit stronger son preference, practice sex-differential fertility stopping, attain a higher proportion of sons, and have larger families than non-Muslims or Muslims for whom the exclusion rule is less binding.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Carranza, Eliana
Language:	English
Published:	2012-02-01
Subjects:	ABORTION, ABORTION RATE, ADULT MEN, ADULTS, AGE AT MARRIAGE, AVERAGE AGE, CENTER FOR HEALTH, CHILD BIRTH, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILD MORTALITY RATES, CHILD-BEARING, CHILDBEARING, CHILDREN PER WOMAN, CIVIL LAW, CONTRACEPTION, CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS, CONTRACEPTIVE USE, COUPLES, COURT, CUSTOMARY LAW, CUSTOMARY PRACTICE, DECLINE IN FERTILITY, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, DEMOGRAPHY, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DIFFERENTIALS IN FERTILITY, DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EITHER SEX, EQUAL TREATMENT, EXCESS FERTILITY, EXTENDED FAMILY, FAMILY COMPOSITION, FAMILY LAW, FAMILY PLANNING, FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM, FAMILY SIZE, FAMILY STRUCTURE, FEMALE, FEMALE CHILDREN, FERTILITY, FERTILITY BEHAVIOR, FERTILITY BEHAVIOUR, FERTILITY DECLINE, FERTILITY LEVELS, FERTILITY PREFERENCES, FERTILITY RATE, FEWER CHILDREN, FIRST BIRTH, FIRST CHILD, GENDER, GENDER INEQUALITY, GENDER PREFERENCES, HEALTH CARE, HOME, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUSBAND, IDEAL FAMILY SIZE, IDEAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATE, INHERITANCE, INHERITANCE RIGHT, INHERITANCE RIGHTS, ISLAMIC LAW, ISLAMIC LEGISLATION, IUD, JUSTICE, LAND OWNERSHIP, LARGER FAMILIES, LEGISLATIONS, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIVE BIRTHS, LOW FERTILITY, LOW FERTILITY LEVELS, MALE RELATIVES, MARITAL FERTILITY, MARRIAGES, MARRIED MAN, MARRIED WOMEN, METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION, MODERN CONTRACEPTIVE USE, MODERNIZATION, MORTALITY DIFFERENTIALS, MOTHER, MUSLIM GIRLS, MUSLIM WOMEN, NATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING, NATIONAL LAW, NUCLEAR FAMILY, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, PARENTS, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION GROUPS, POPULATION POLICY, POPULATION RESEARCH, POPULOUS COUNTRY, PRENATAL SEX SELECTION, PREFERENCE FOR SONS, PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY, PROGRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS, PUBLIC HEALTH, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, RELIGIOUS GROUPS, REPRODUCTIVE AGE, REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR, RESIDENCE, SCHOOLS, SEX, SEX PREFERENCE, SEX RATIO, SEX RATIOS, SIBLINGS, SMALL FAMILIES, SOCIAL RESEARCH, SOCIETY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SOCIOLOGY, SON PREFERENCE, SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER, SPOUSE, STERILIZATION, UNFPA, UNITED NATION POPULATION FUND, USE OF CONTRACEPTION, WIDOWS, WIFE, WILL, WIVES,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20120221114635 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3258
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