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ABSTRACT
Preference for male children is a global phenomenon. However, it is more seriously practiced in highly traditional societies of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The practice is particularly widespread in Nigeria, where for cultural and familial justifications families express subtle and sometimes outright preference for male children over females. Unfortunately, this leads to unintended consequences, not only for the families involved but also for the larger society. Against this backdrop, therefore, this paper attempts to articulate the rationale for male child preference, the extent of the practice, as well as some of its damaging consequences and the attendant implications for the Imilike-Agu society in particular. Whereas in the quest for male children, the focus is usually on the seeming gains, which constitute the motivators for families that would stop at nothing to have them.
