Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) show that parental preference for sons persists in some countries but may be declining in others. The most common preference pattern among parents in 26 DHS countries is for at least one daughter and one son. There is some preference for sons in North Africa and Sri Lanka, but even in those countries it is not consistently strong. Moreover, in most countries there is little evidence that prevalent sex preferences are translated into pronounced differentials in a society's contraceptive use or sex ratios. There are also few significant differences in the percentage of young boys and girls receiving immunizations, becoming ill, receiving medical assistance during an illness, being breastfed or showing signs of poor nutrition.