Does family composition drive future fertility desire and contraceptive use? An evidence based on National Family Health Survey (2015–2016), India

•The desire for another child was higher among women with only daughters.•The desire for another child among women with only daughters increased with increased parity.•The prevalence of contraception use declined with increased number of daughter with increased parity.•The desire for another child was higher among socio-economically marginalized section. The objective of the present study was to explore whether the fertility desire and contraceptive use vary by parity of women and sex composition of surviving children. The present study used National Family Health Survey (2015–2016), India, data for analysis. Married, non-pregnant, fecund women aged 15–49 years with at least one child (N = 151,316) were only included. Bivariate analysis was performed to examine association and thereafter, logistic regression analysis was performed to understand the relationship of selected characteristics with desire for another child and contraceptive use stratified by parity of the women. Overall, 39% women in India wanted to have another child. At each parity, the proportion of women desiring another child increased as the number of daughters increased. More than half of women at parity 3 with only daughters wanted another child compared to only 13% of women with only sons. However, of a women at parity two with a son and a daughter, only 16% wanted another child. The odds of desire for another child was higher among women with only daughters compared to others. The odds for desire of another child among daughters only family was 2.13 odds times higher at parity one, which increased to 23.5 times higher at parity four and above compared to have both son and daughter. The pattern of contraceptive use was opposite to that of desire with lower use among the daughter’s family only. Son preferences are prevalent in society; however, many want to have a balanced sex composition of their child with at least a son and a daughter. The desire for another child was higher in the daughter’s only family and the likelihood increased with increased parity showing the strong desire for a son child.