Objectives: To study relationship between son preference & use of contraception & fertility pattern among married women of reproductive age group in an urban slum community of Maharashtra. Methodology: A community based, cross-sectional study was carried out among 900 married women of reproductive age group selected by systematic random sampling in an urban slum of community of Mumbai, Maharashtra. Results: In the present study, majority women were muslims, they were educated, belonging to high socio-economic status, married after legal age of marriage & having less than or equal to two living children.   88.9% women had knowledge of contraceptives of which 40% were using contraceptives. Among contraceptive users, maximum (64.8%) were using temporary contraceptive methods while 35.2% women had undergone sterilization. There was statistically significant association between use of contraception & number of living sons. There was statistically significant difference in proportion for practice rate of contraception & desired family size & son preference as maximum women of their desired family size & desired sex composition of children were using contraceptives either temporary or permanent. Statistical Analysis: SPSS 11.0 version, Chi-square & SEP. Conclusion: The findings confirm that family sex composition affects fertility behavior and also reveals that preference for sons persists in urban community of Mumbai.

Keywords: Son preference; Fertility pattern; Contraceptive use.