Is this bad news for boys? After centuries hankering after male children, surveys have shown a sudden and dramatic shift in parents' preferences towards daughters.
Parents prefer daughters for the first time
Girls' world: Boys increasingly underperform in education when compared with girls and are failing to launch into adulthood, with 20% of men aged 25 to 34 in the US still living with their parents, compared with 15% of similarly aged women. Glossary
Infanticide - The crime of killing a child within a year of its birth.
Heirs - A person who is legally entitled to inherit the property, assets, or title of another person, typically upon that person's death.
Ultrasound - A medical imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create real-time images of organs, tissues, or blood flow inside the body.
Balk - To hesitate or be unwilling to do something.
Evolutionary - Relating to evolution, a process of gradual change that takes place over many generations, during which species of animals, plants, or insects slowly change some of their physical characteristics.
Foetus - An unborn human or animal in the later stages of its development, but before birth.
Mortality - Things that can die are mortal.
Dotage - Period of old age, especially when accompanied by a decline in mental faculties or a state of senility.
IVF - In vitro fertilisation is a technique used to help people with fertility issues have a baby.