| Chapter 2: | Background on Population Sex Ratio |
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The atypically masculine sex ratios found in the 1971 and 1991 censuses are thought to be attributable to differential census undercount of females (Dyson, 2001; Guillot, 2002).
This work does not address the complex issue of population sex ratios, but focuses on sex ratio at birth and sex differentials in under-five mortality, which are not subject to long-term cohort effects or to the effects of sex-specific migration patterns.
Determinants of Son Preference
Economic Factors
Bardhan (1974) hypothesized that it is current economic forces that determine the social value of women and that female agricultural labor force participation can explain geographic variability in gender mortality differentials in India. In the northern areas where wheat is the primary crop, plow agriculture, and more recently mechanized agriculture, preclude women’s participation in the production process. In the south of India, which has been characterized by narrower gender differentials in mortality, rice cultivation is common, which is a labor-intensive process and fully utilizes the labor of women. Miller (1981) found a correlation between female labor force participation and juvenile sex ratios in the 1961 census at the district level, and Kishor (1993) found a similar relationship with sex ratios of child mortality. Gupta and Attari (1994) added to the evidence by noting that changes in female labor participation were correlated with changes in the sex ratio. Women’s workforce participation has declined over the course of the 20th century from a high of 34% in 1911 to a low of 20% in 1981, whereas the ratio of planted wheat to rice has increased, along with the secular increase in the sex ratio (Mayer, 1999).