Open research questions in Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
388 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,143 Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The lack of questions on sex assigned at birth, current gender identity, and gender presentation is a limitation - Non-probability samples skewed toward younger, more educated, or more liberal respondents were used in some studies - Income was excluded due to incomparable coding across datasets - Listwise deletion was used to exclude cases with missing data on analytical variables - The study only included East Asian societies
Empirical evidence on attitudes toward same-sex parenting in East Asia remains limited, particularly regarding gender gaps and changes over time. Most single-country studies exist but often rely on non-probability samples skewed toward younger, more educated, or more liberal respondents.
The study faces challenges in identifying the causal impact of sibling absence due to imperfect compliance with the one-child policy. The analysis is limited by the lack of civic-skill measures in the dataset. The paper must account for within-locality correlation and potential cohort gradients that could inflate non-causal differences.
CSS-2021 imposes measurement constraints - The study lacks civic-skill measures - The study excludes ethnic minority respondents because the OCP was enforced more flexibly in these populations
Further research could explore the relationship between trust in government and fertility intentions in other countries or contexts, - Future studies could investigate the impact of other factors on fertility intentions, - Research could examine the effectiveness of fertility-boosting incentives in prioritizing couples who are the only child in their family
The mediating role of trust in government in intergenerational transmission of fertility intentions · 2024 · DOIThe intergenerational transmission of age at first birth is important for demographic dynamics and the reproduction of social inequality, yet it remains underexplored in China's rapidly transitioning society.
Changes in intergenerational transmission of age at first birth in China, 1941–90 cohorts · 2026 · DOIFurther research of this population is crucial for improving patient counseling and family planning.
While the impact of advanced paternal age has been documented, sociodemographic data about fathers aged 50 years and older remain scarce.
Relatively few studies have done this, however, and some that have done so have encountered other problems) 4 One type of study that would be valuable for understanding the links between female status and fertility is the intensive "controlled comparison" (see Caldwell, 1985, for similar suggestions).
Intervention may be needed - not only to mitigate any temporary undesirable side-effects and suffer- ing caused by lags in self-adjustment, but also because the notion of an Invisible Hand may not be applicable here.
On the acceptability and feasibility of pronatalist population policy in the Netherlands · 1987 · DOICompared to animal studies, this analysis is limited by the small sample size and by the low F coefficients in general.
The study identifies a research gap in the analysis of the impact of government girl child schemes on reducing female feticide in Maharashtra. The study highlights the need for further research on the factors influencing the effectiveness of government schemes in addressing social issues.
Future research could examine the impact of ETA bans on sex selection among other immigrant groups. Future research could also examine the mechanisms by which ETA bans affect sex selection.
The gap is the lack of understanding of the effect of ETA bans on sex selection among immigrant groups. The paper notes that prior work has not examined the impact of ETA bans on sex selection among immigrant groups.
Globally consistent city-level estimates of demographic structures and migration patterns are lacking. The trajectories of urban demographic change and migration patterns over time remain unclear.
Globally, net migra- tion accounted for 45% of urban growth between 2000 and 2020, but its contribution varied widely between cities, concentrating growth in some urban centers while others expanded primarily through natural increase.
Existing indicators such as the total fertility rate and mean age at childbearing provide limited insight into how widely fertility is distributed across ages. There is a need for a new indicator that can capture the distribution of fertility over age.
Global trends in the compression of childbearing spans, 1950–2025: A new approach to the age distribution of fertility · 2026 · DOIThere is a lack of understanding about the relationship between abortion legalization and sex-selective fertility practices in Nepal. Prior studies have not examined the potential interactions between reproductive rights and social norms in shaping fertility behavior and sex ratios at birth in Nepal.
There is a lack of research on intergenerational patterns in reproductive change. Most studies have focused on aggregate trends, rather than examining reproductive trajectories at the family level.
Future research should examine the impact of delayed first birth on socioeconomic disparities in other countries. Future research should investigate the role of policy interventions in shaping the timing of first birth. Future research should explore the implications of delayed first birth for elderly care and social and economic development.
Two paths to smaller families: Socioeconomic and urban–rural disparities in delayed first birth in China and implications for an ageing society · 2026 · DOIThere is a lack of understanding of the impact of delayed first birth on socioeconomic disparities in China's fertility transition. There is a need to examine the role of first birth timing in shaping intergenerational age structures. There is a gap in the literature on the demographic transition in China, particularly with regards to the timing of first birth.
Two paths to smaller families: Socioeconomic and urban–rural disparities in delayed first birth in China and implications for an ageing society · 2026 · DOIThe effects of delayed reproduction on population growth and structure are not well understood. Prior work has focused on the negative effects of delayed reproduction on population growth.
The age at first birth may not accurately reflect when people first attempt to conceive. There is a lack of direct measurement of the age at first attempt to conceive.
Quantifying the postponement in the age at first attempt to conceive and its consequences · 2026 · DOIFuture research could explore the effectiveness of interventions aimed at raising awareness among left-behind wives regarding PNSD and discouraging sex-selective abortions. Future research could also examine the relationship between women's autonomy and PNSD preference in other populations.
A Critical Component of Gender Favoritism—Prenatal Sex Determination and Son Preference Among the Left‐Behind Wives of Solo Out‐Migrants Within Rural India · 2026 · DOIThe study identifies a gap in the literature on prenatal sex determination and son preference among left-behind wives of solo out-migrants. The study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the association of various sociodemographic factors with left-behind wives' PNSD preference.
A Critical Component of Gender Favoritism—Prenatal Sex Determination and Son Preference Among the Left‐Behind Wives of Solo Out‐Migrants Within Rural India · 2026 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
- Natural Selection of Parental Ability to Vary the Sex Ratio of Offspring · Science · 1973 · 2,430 citations
- On Kinship Structure, Female Autonomy, and Demographic Behavior in India · Population and Development Review · 1983 · 1,097 citations
- The framingham offspring study. Design and preliminary data · Preventive Medicine · 1975 · 836 citations
- Missing Women and the Price of Tea in China: The Effect of Sex-Specific Earnings on Sex Imbalance* · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · 2008 · 739 citations
- Why is Son preference so persistent in East and South Asia? a cross-country study of China, India and the Republic of Korea · The Journal of Development Studies · 2003 · 716 citations
- Selective Discrimination against Female Children in Rural Punjab, India · Population and Development Review · 1987 · 660 citations
- A New Approach to the Economic Theory of Fertility Behavior · Journal of Political Economy · 1973 · 632 citations
- The Power of TV: Cable Television and Women's Status in India* · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · 2009 · 603 citations
- Toward A Restatement of Demographic Transition Theory · Population and Development Review · 1976 · 566 citations
- Demographic Transition Theory · Population Studies · 1996 · 549 citations
Most recent work
- Parental gender preferences and fertility ideals in China · Acta Psychologica · 2026
- The Right Kind of Children: Christian Nationalism, Religiosity, and Support for Selective Versus General Pronatalism · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · 2026
- The role of miscarriage and sororal birth order in male same-sex orientation: Theoretical predictions and empirical data · bioRxiv · 2026
- Subtle fertility recovery in cohorts who entered the labour market during the deep recession in Japan · Asian Population Studies · 2026
- Fertility intention and its influencing factors among young people of reproductive age in China: A cross-sectional survey study · Acta Psychologica · 2026
- In the context of China's low fertility: Gender inequality, feminist identity development, and attitudes toward marriage · Acta Psychologica · 2026
- How does delayed childbearing promote child gender diversity? — Causal evidence and mechanism analysis from China · Acta Psychologica · 2026
- Has the “Three-Child Policy” also encountered reluctance in rural China?—evidence from new-generation women of childbearing age in western rural China · Journal of Rural Studies · 2026
- Desired fertility, realized fertility and the effects of China's Universal Two-Child Policy∗ · Journal of Development Economics · 2026
- The Limits and Consequences of Population Policy: Evidence from China's Wan Xi Shao Campaign · The Review of Economics and Statistics · 2026
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