Sex-Selective Abortion in India: The Impact on Child Mortality B ...

Postnatal Consequences of Son Preference

Excess Female Infant Mortality

Khanna, Kumar, Vaghela, Sreenivas, and Puliyel (2003) carried out a community-based study of infant deaths in three economically deprived areas on the outskirts of Delhi, India. Verbal autopsy data collected on 442 infant deaths from 1997 to 2001 were analyzed to determine if there was a gender differential in preventable infant mortality. There were 7,012 births during the study period, with a sex ratio at birth of 115 boys per 100 girls. For girls, the infant mortality rate was 1.3 times higher than for boys. Diarrhea was the most common cause of death (21%), followed by birth asphyxia (14%), immaturity (12%), acute respiratory infection (11%), and unexplained cause (10%). Girls were found to have significantly higher mortality rates than boys for diarrhea and unexplained deaths, whereas boys did not have significantly higher infant mortality rates within any of the cause-of-death categories. For causes of infant death that were less treatable or preventable, such as birth asphyxia, immaturity, septicemia, and congenital anomalies, no differences were found in mortality rates by gender. The rate of “unexplained death” was 3.5 times higher in girls than boys. Half of the 44 unexplained deaths occurred in the first month of life, and 19 of those 22 unexplained neonatal deaths occurred among girls. For preventable and treatable diarrheal disease, the cause-specific mortality was found to be 2.3 times higher among female infants than male infants.

Excess Female Under-5 Mortality

Das Gupta (1987) studied discrimination against girls at the household level in rural Punjab, finding that sex bias within the family is not generalized, but is strategically targeted toward daughters of higher birth order and specifically toward those with at least one older sister.