Entrenched in Tradition: The Psychological Cost of Motherhood in Regions with High Son Preference

Theoretical frameworks in family sociology emphasize the pervasive influence of the macro-environment on individual well-being. Yet empirical research on son preference has predominantly focused on the specific outcomes of child gender rather than the broader cultural context. This study bridges the gap between the theoretical scope of cultural influence and the narrow focus of previous empirical evidence by shifting the analytical lens from individual fertility rewards to the regional normative climate. Utilizing longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies, we investigate whether regional son preference functions as a systemic environmental stressor for primiparous women. The results indicate that living in a high-preference region is associated with elevated depression and reduced happiness. Notably, this association is absent prior to childbirth which suggests that environmental pressure is specifically triggered by the transition to motherhood. Crucially, the analysis reveals that this psychological cost is universal rather than conditional. Contrary to the expectation that bearing a son provides a protective buffer, the environmental penalty affects mothers of sons and daughters equally. Mechanism analysis suggests that this generalized distress is driven by role conflict and characterized by the structural tension between internalized traditional ideologies and the physical burden of domestic labor. These findings highlight that patriarchal norms function as a pervasive environmental risk factor rather than merely through fertility outcomes.