ON THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF GIRLS: FERTILITY, PARENTAL INVESTMENTS AND MORTALITY

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Anukriti, S.; Bhalotra, Sonia; Tam, Eddy H. F.
• 署名单位: The World Bank; University of Essex; University of Oxford
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueab035
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 1-36
• 关键词: prenatal sex selection; son preference; abortion legalization; female mortality; infant-mortality; Missing women; birth-weight; child health; IMPACT; ratios

摘要

Access to prenatal sex-detection technology in India has led to a phenomenal increase in abortion of girls. We find that it has also narrowed the gender gap in under-five mortality, consistent with surviving girls being more wanted than aborted girls. For every three aborted girls, one additional girl survived to age five. Mechanisms include moderation of son-biased fertility stopping and narrowing of gender gaps in parental investments. However, surviving girls are more likely to be born in lower-status families. Our findings have implications not only for counts of missing girls but also for the later life outcomes of girls.