Work

The Influence of Migration on Secular Trends in Sex Ratios at Birth in Cuba in the Past Fifty Years

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Secular trends have been found in the male-female ratio at birth (M/F: male births divided by total births) in various countries and this ratio is anticipated to approximate 0.515. METHODS: Annual national data for male and female live births in Cuba with contingency tables were obtained from the World Health Organisation and analysed. RESULTS: There were 3 736 718 male and 3 534 270 female births (1960-96). Births declined steadily over the entire period. The male-female ratio at birth remained relatively stable over the period 1960-1985 with significant sharp dips for the years 1966, 1980 and 1985. There was a sharp rise in M/F from 1966 to 1969, another rise after 1985, a steep drop to 1989, and then a sharp rise once more after 1993 (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The single year dips are associated with the passage of laws in the United States of America (USA) that facilitated Cuban entry to the USA. The increases in M/F tended to be associated with a skew toward an efflux from Cuba that was predominantly male. This paralleled the situation in the Second World War where a surplus of women left behind led to an increase in M/F in belligerent countries. To the author's knowledge, this is the first report of migration influencing M/F.

Source: West Indian Medical Journal

DOI: 10.7727/wimj.2013.336

Author: V Grech

Institution: Mater Dei Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: World Health Organization