Hyderabad, Oct. 11 -- We are a quarter of the way into the 21st century, and in India, we still see families with many children, with the last one being a son. Some couples may even have kept trying until they had a son. Before you judge them, it is important to understand the societal pressure of having at least a son to "complete" the family.

An International Institute of Popular Sciences (IIPS) analysis using NFHS-5 also found that couples' desire for more children differs depending on the sex of their existing children, with a stronger desire for another child among those whose first or second children are daughters. Researchers said this is a factor contributing to excess fertility, even as the preference for a son has declined in t...