Is this bad news for boys? After centuries hankering after male children, surveys have shown a sudden and dramatic shift in parents' preferences for 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
Coveted - Greatly desired or envied. It originates from the Latin cupiditas, meaning eagerness or ambition.
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.
Dotage - Period of old age, especially when accompanied by a decline in mental faculties or a state of senility.