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Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?

According to a new study, nearly half of Americans say they want their first child to be a boy.

Researchers surveyed 2,129 recently married couples and found that 47 percent of couples admitted that they would prefer to have a son first, with the majority citing practical reasons like boys being "less hard work".

The survey sponsored by money-saving website CouponCodes4You found that only 21 percent of respondents said they would like to have a daughter as their firstborn, and 32 percent reported having no preference either way.

The poll also revealed that the majority of people who wanted a son first were men themselves, with 63 percent of men saying they prefer their firstborn to be a son compared to 11 percent who say they would want a daughter as their first child.

Nearly half of couples who wanted their firstborn to be sons said they felt that having a boy would be "less hard work" than having a daughter.  Around a third said they wanted a boy first because older sons are better at looking after their younger siblings, and 19 percent admitted they prioritized having a son because they want him to carry the family name.

While couples preferred to have boys as their oldest child, 37 percent said they would like to have their second child be a daughter.

While many coupes believe raising a boy is easier than raising a girl, couples who wanted to have a daughter first perceive older girls as "better role models" to their younger siblings.

Chairman of CouponCodes4u, Mark Pearson, said he was "surprised" by the findings, according to the Daily Mail.

"What the survey does highlight is the fact that gender preference is still an issue that many couples face when they discover they are having a child," he said.

"Hopefully what all parents should remember is that the health of the child is much more important than the gender," he added.