In 2002, the journal Science reported that a study of women in Finland indicated that having sons shortened the life spans of mothers by about 34 weeks per son, but that daughters helped to lengthen...

In 2002, the journal Science reported that a study of women in Finland indicated that having sons shortened the life spans of mothers by about 34 weeks per son, but that daughters helped to lengthen the mothers’ lives. The data came from church records from the period 1640 to 1870.