(After all, It's the Economy, Stupid.)
But I still wonder whether that's just a way to appeal to human nature (being made in God's image and prizing the first born son) or whether it also is part and parcel of the State's interest in males over females.
For if the State were interested in some parity, it would seem China would force folks to keep a certain amount of girls rather than look the other way as folks abort, abandon or kill their female children to obtain a boy. They don't seem to have any problems with an excruciatingly, overwhelmingly male population.
For exactly what purposes it's hard to say. Fewer female definitely puts the brakes on procreation, beefs up the military with real muscle and encourages the homosexuality that is the State's ideal in many respects. I don't know. Still thinking about that one.
If I manage to dig up anything resembing Chicom encouragement of females, we'll see if there's a clue there.
Get out your ancient history of Sparta. Aristotle notes it at some length in the Politics; I think Thucydides gives it a whirl too, but I don't know him. Xenophon has something to say on it (calling them the Persians) in the Cyropaedia, and I think in the Anabasis, but I don't know that one either.