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Sex-selective Abortions and Infant Mortality in India: The Role of Parents’ Stated Son Preference

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: In India, millions of female foetuses have been aborted since the 1980s alongside an abnormally high infant girl mortality rate; this has generated a vast literature exploring the root causes of son preference. The literature is sparse, however, on how the decisions to abort or neglect girls are made. This paper examines mothers’ and fathers’ respective roles behind those decisions. Using the third National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-3) data, we show that sex-selective abortions are most commonly used if both spouses or if only the fathers prefer sons, while sex-selective neglect is used if only the mothers prefer sons.

Source: The Journal of Development Studies

DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2016.1241389

Authors: Marie-Claire Robitaille, Ishita Chatterjee

Institutions: University of Nottingham Ningbo China, The University of Western Australia

Language: English

Topic: Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W1578217258