隨著時代進步，出生人數及生育率逐年下滑，且男女出生性別比亦呈現下降趨勢，故本文以87年度及93年度20歲-49歲已婚且至少生育一個小孩的婦女為研究對象，透過觀察各項個人特質變數及家庭特質變數是否影響其子女性別偏好，並加以分析影響的程度，以及婦女的子女性別偏好是否影響其實際生育子女的性別結構。
本文係利用行政院衛生署國民健康局87年度及93年度「第8次、第9次臺灣地區家庭與生育力研究調查資料」，以順序概率模型(Ordered Probit Model)作為實證模型，分析婦女認為生育子女理由的子女價值觀念、家庭背景等個人與環境特質變數是否影響其生育男孩的子女性別偏好，另以概率模型(Probit Model)作為實證模型，分析婦女對於生育男孩的子女性別偏好是否影響其實際生育子女的性別結構。
本文的實證結果顯示：(1)婦女的教育程度及所得對其生育男孩偏好為顯著負向影響；(2)婦女本身傳宗接代的觀念對其生育男孩偏好為顯著正向影響；(3)先生若為獨子及婦女的婚姻由父母安排，對其生育男孩偏好為顯著正向影響；(4)對於那些生育3胎（含）以上且前2胎連生女孩的婦女，其生育男孩的偏好程度愈高，對其實際生育第3胎（含）以上至少有1個男孩的機率為顯著正向影響。根據實證結果，本文推論婦女生育男孩的偏好確實會影響其生育子女的性別組合。

With the time progressing, the number of births and fertility has been declining and makes the sex ratio at birth between boys and girls show a downward trend. By employing a data of married women who are aged 20-49 years old , and having at least one child in 1998 and 2004, this paper analyzes how the personal and environmental characteristic affects their gender preference for children (especially for son preference), and what is the effect of child gender preference affects the gender composition of their children.
This paper article uses “the 8th and 9th family and fertility survey and research data in Taiwan”, provided by the Bureau Health Promotion, Depart of Health, R.O.C. (Taiwan), to analyze how the personal and environmental characteristic affects the child gender preference of the women via the Ordered Probit Model, and how the child gender preference of the women affects the gender composition of their children via the Probit Model.
According to the analysis results, (1) there is a significant and negative effect to the child gender preference of the wife, if the wife were with the higher level of education and income. (2) If the wife cares more about having a son to carry on the family name, the child gender preference of the wife would be a significant and positive effect. (3) If the husband is the only son, or the marriage of women were arranged by their parents, the effect is also significant and positive to the child gender preference of the wife. (4) If the wife ,who already has more than three children with the first two are daughters, had a strong child gender preference, it would affect significantly and positive to the actual gender composition of the children. So we can speculate that the gender composition of the children is affected by the child gender preference of the wife.

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