Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India
This paper is the first to show that excess mortality among adult women can be partly explained by strong preference for male children, the same cultural norm widely known to cause excess mortality before birth or at young ages. Using pooled indivi...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/03/19238584/adult-women-missing-son-preference-maternal-survival-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17295 |
| id |
okr-10986-17295 |
|---|---|
| recordtype |
oai_dc |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
ACCESS TO HEALTH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS TO TREATMENT ACCIDENTS ADOLESCENCE ADULT MORTALITY ADULT WOMEN ADULTHOOD ADVERSE HEALTH AGE DISTRIBUTION AMNIOCENTESIS ANTENATAL CARE BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BIRTH ORDER BIRTH SPACING BREASTFEEDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CARE SERVICES CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILDBEARING CHILDBIRTH CHILDHOOD CHRONIC CONDITIONS CHRONIC MALNUTRITION CLOSELY SPACED PREGNANCIES COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE COMPLICATIONS CONDOMS CONTRACEPTION CONTRACEPTIVES DEPRESSION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIET DISABILITIES DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION DISEASES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EARLY DETECTION EDUCATED WOMEN EITHER SEX EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE EXCESS MORTALITY FAMILIES FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY PLANNING FAMILY SIZE FEMALE FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE MORTALITY FEMALE POPULATION FEMALE STERILIZATION FEMALES FERTILITY FERTILITY BEHAVIOR FERTILITY RATE FERTILITY RATES FIRST BIRTH FIRST BIRTHS FIRST CHILD FIRST MARRIAGE FIRST PREGNANCY FORMS OF VIOLENCE GENDER GENDER BIAS GENDER DIFFERENTIAL GENDER DISPARITIES GENDER PREFERENCES GYNECOLOGY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH RISKS HEALTH STATUS HIV HIV/AIDS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS IDEAL FAMILY SIZE ILLEGAL ABORTION ILLEGAL ABORTIONS ILLNESS INFANT INFECTIONS INFERTILITY INFORMATION ON WOMEN INJURIES INJURY IRON STORES JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACEPTION LEVELS OF FERTILITY LIFETIME RISK LIFETIME RISK OF DEATH LIVE BIRTHS MALARIA MARRIED WOMEN MATERNAL CARE MATERNAL DEATH MATERNAL DEATHS MATERNAL HEALTH MATERNAL HEALTH CARE MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES MATERNAL MORBIDITY MATERNAL MORTALITY MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOS MATERNAL NUTRITION MEAT MEDICAL BULLETIN METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MISCARRIAGE MORTALITY RATES MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY NATIONAL POPULATION NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY NEWBORN NUMBER OF BIRTHS NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF DEATHS NUMBER OF WOMEN NUTRITIONAL NEEDS NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS NUTRITIONAL STATUS NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITIOUS FOOD OBSTETRIC FISTULA OBSTETRICS OLDER AGE GROUPS OLDER CHILDREN OLDER WOMEN OVERWEIGHT PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POOR HEALTH POOR NUTRITION POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION STUDIES PRACTITIONERS PREGNANCY PREGNANT WOMEN PRENATAL CARE PRENATAL DIAGNOSTIC PRENATAL DIAGNOSTICS PROGRESS PSYCHOSES PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS REPRODUCTIVE YEARS RHYTHM METHOD RISK OF DEATH RURAL AREAS SAFE MOTHERHOOD SECOND BIRTH SEVERE VIOLENCE SEX SEX OF THE CHILD SEX OF THE FETUS SEX PREFERENCE SEX RATIO SEX RATIOS SEX SELECTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTIONS SEXUAL VIOLENCE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SON PREFERENCE SPACING BETWEEN BIRTHS SPOUSAL VIOLENCE SPOUSE STATUS OF WOMEN STERILIZATION SUICIDE TELEVISION TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY UNEDUCATED WOMEN UNICEF UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNSAFE ABORTION UNSAFE ABORTIONS URBAN AREAS VICTIMS WILL WIVES WOMAN WOMEN WITH EDUCATION WOMEN'S HEALTH WORLD POPULATION YOUNG AGES YOUNG GIRLS YOUNGER WOMEN |
| spellingShingle |
ACCESS TO HEALTH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS TO TREATMENT ACCIDENTS ADOLESCENCE ADULT MORTALITY ADULT WOMEN ADULTHOOD ADVERSE HEALTH AGE DISTRIBUTION AMNIOCENTESIS ANTENATAL CARE BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BIRTH ORDER BIRTH SPACING BREASTFEEDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CARE SERVICES CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILDBEARING CHILDBIRTH CHILDHOOD CHRONIC CONDITIONS CHRONIC MALNUTRITION CLOSELY SPACED PREGNANCIES COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE COMPLICATIONS CONDOMS CONTRACEPTION CONTRACEPTIVES DEPRESSION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIET DISABILITIES DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION DISEASES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EARLY DETECTION EDUCATED WOMEN EITHER SEX EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE EXCESS MORTALITY FAMILIES FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY PLANNING FAMILY SIZE FEMALE FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE MORTALITY FEMALE POPULATION FEMALE STERILIZATION FEMALES FERTILITY FERTILITY BEHAVIOR FERTILITY RATE FERTILITY RATES FIRST BIRTH FIRST BIRTHS FIRST CHILD FIRST MARRIAGE FIRST PREGNANCY FORMS OF VIOLENCE GENDER GENDER BIAS GENDER DIFFERENTIAL GENDER DISPARITIES GENDER PREFERENCES GYNECOLOGY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH RISKS HEALTH STATUS HIV HIV/AIDS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS IDEAL FAMILY SIZE ILLEGAL ABORTION ILLEGAL ABORTIONS ILLNESS INFANT INFECTIONS INFERTILITY INFORMATION ON WOMEN INJURIES INJURY IRON STORES JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACEPTION LEVELS OF FERTILITY LIFETIME RISK LIFETIME RISK OF DEATH LIVE BIRTHS MALARIA MARRIED WOMEN MATERNAL CARE MATERNAL DEATH MATERNAL DEATHS MATERNAL HEALTH MATERNAL HEALTH CARE MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES MATERNAL MORBIDITY MATERNAL MORTALITY MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOS MATERNAL NUTRITION MEAT MEDICAL BULLETIN METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MISCARRIAGE MORTALITY RATES MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY NATIONAL POPULATION NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY NEWBORN NUMBER OF BIRTHS NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF DEATHS NUMBER OF WOMEN NUTRITIONAL NEEDS NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS NUTRITIONAL STATUS NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITIOUS FOOD OBSTETRIC FISTULA OBSTETRICS OLDER AGE GROUPS OLDER CHILDREN OLDER WOMEN OVERWEIGHT PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POOR HEALTH POOR NUTRITION POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION STUDIES PRACTITIONERS PREGNANCY PREGNANT WOMEN PRENATAL CARE PRENATAL DIAGNOSTIC PRENATAL DIAGNOSTICS PROGRESS PSYCHOSES PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS REPRODUCTIVE YEARS RHYTHM METHOD RISK OF DEATH RURAL AREAS SAFE MOTHERHOOD SECOND BIRTH SEVERE VIOLENCE SEX SEX OF THE CHILD SEX OF THE FETUS SEX PREFERENCE SEX RATIO SEX RATIOS SEX SELECTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTIONS SEXUAL VIOLENCE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SON PREFERENCE SPACING BETWEEN BIRTHS SPOUSAL VIOLENCE SPOUSE STATUS OF WOMEN STERILIZATION SUICIDE TELEVISION TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY UNEDUCATED WOMEN UNICEF UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNSAFE ABORTION UNSAFE ABORTIONS URBAN AREAS VICTIMS WILL WIVES WOMAN WOMEN WITH EDUCATION WOMEN'S HEALTH WORLD POPULATION YOUNG AGES YOUNG GIRLS YOUNGER WOMEN Milazzo, Annamaria Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| geographic_facet |
South Asia India |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6802 |
| description |
This paper is the first to show that
excess mortality among adult women can be partly explained
by strong preference for male children, the same cultural
norm widely known to cause excess mortality before birth or
at young ages. Using pooled individual-level data for India,
the paper compares the age structure and anemia status of
women by the sex of their first-born and uncovers several
new findings. First, the share of living women with a
first-born girl is a decreasing function of the women's
age at the time of the survey. Second, while there are no
systematic differences at the time of birth, women with a
first-born girl are significantly more likely to develop
anemia when young (under the age of 30) and these
differences disappear for older women. Moreover, among those
in the older age group, they appear to be significantly
better off in terms of various predetermined
characteristics. These findings are consistent with a
selection effect in which maternal and adult mortality is
higher for women with first-born girls, especially the poor
and uneducated with limited access to health care and
prenatal sex diagnostic technologies. To ensure the desired
sex composition of children, these women resort to a
fertility behavior medically known to increase their risk of
death. The observed sex ratios for first births imply that
2.2-8.4 percent of women with first-born girls are
'missing' because of son preference between the
ages of 30 and 49. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Milazzo, Annamaria |
| author_facet |
Milazzo, Annamaria |
| author_sort |
Milazzo, Annamaria |
| title |
Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| title_short |
Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| title_full |
Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| title_fullStr |
Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India |
| title_sort |
why are adult women missing? son preference and maternal survival in india |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/03/19238584/adult-women-missing-son-preference-maternal-survival-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17295 |
| _version_ |
1764436931342499840 |
| spelling |
okr-10986-172952021-04-23T14:03:37Z Why Are Adult Women Missing? Son Preference and Maternal Survival in India Milazzo, Annamaria ACCESS TO HEALTH ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES ACCESS TO TREATMENT ACCIDENTS ADOLESCENCE ADULT MORTALITY ADULT WOMEN ADULTHOOD ADVERSE HEALTH AGE DISTRIBUTION AMNIOCENTESIS ANTENATAL CARE BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BIRTH ORDER BIRTH SPACING BREASTFEEDING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CARE SERVICES CHILD HEALTH CHILD MORTALITY CHILDBEARING CHILDBIRTH CHILDHOOD CHRONIC CONDITIONS CHRONIC MALNUTRITION CLOSELY SPACED PREGNANCIES COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE COMPLICATIONS CONDOMS CONTRACEPTION CONTRACEPTIVES DEPRESSION DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIET DISABILITIES DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION DISEASES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EARLY DETECTION EDUCATED WOMEN EITHER SEX EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE EXCESS MORTALITY FAMILIES FAMILY HEALTH FAMILY PLANNING FAMILY SIZE FEMALE FEMALE CHILDREN FEMALE MORTALITY FEMALE POPULATION FEMALE STERILIZATION FEMALES FERTILITY FERTILITY BEHAVIOR FERTILITY RATE FERTILITY RATES FIRST BIRTH FIRST BIRTHS FIRST CHILD FIRST MARRIAGE FIRST PREGNANCY FORMS OF VIOLENCE GENDER GENDER BIAS GENDER DIFFERENTIAL GENDER DISPARITIES GENDER PREFERENCES GYNECOLOGY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES HEALTH FACILITIES HEALTH RISKS HEALTH STATUS HIV HIV/AIDS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES HUSBAND HUSBANDS IDEAL FAMILY SIZE ILLEGAL ABORTION ILLEGAL ABORTIONS ILLNESS INFANT INFECTIONS INFERTILITY INFORMATION ON WOMEN INJURIES INJURY IRON STORES JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACEPTION LEVELS OF FERTILITY LIFETIME RISK LIFETIME RISK OF DEATH LIVE BIRTHS MALARIA MARRIED WOMEN MATERNAL CARE MATERNAL DEATH MATERNAL DEATHS MATERNAL HEALTH MATERNAL HEALTH CARE MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES MATERNAL MORBIDITY MATERNAL MORTALITY MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOS MATERNAL NUTRITION MEAT MEDICAL BULLETIN METHOD OF CONTRACEPTION METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL MISCARRIAGE MORTALITY RATES MOTHER MOTHERS NATIONAL FAMILY HEALTH SURVEY NATIONAL POPULATION NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY NEWBORN NUMBER OF BIRTHS NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF DEATHS NUMBER OF WOMEN NUTRITIONAL NEEDS NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS NUTRITIONAL STATUS NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS NUTRITIOUS FOOD OBSTETRIC FISTULA OBSTETRICS OLDER AGE GROUPS OLDER CHILDREN OLDER WOMEN OVERWEIGHT PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POOR HEALTH POOR NUTRITION POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT POPULATION STUDIES PRACTITIONERS PREGNANCY PREGNANT WOMEN PRENATAL CARE PRENATAL DIAGNOSTIC PRENATAL DIAGNOSTICS PROGRESS PSYCHOSES PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC SERVICES RADIO REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS REPRODUCTIVE YEARS RHYTHM METHOD RISK OF DEATH RURAL AREAS SAFE MOTHERHOOD SECOND BIRTH SEVERE VIOLENCE SEX SEX OF THE CHILD SEX OF THE FETUS SEX PREFERENCE SEX RATIO SEX RATIOS SEX SELECTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTIONS SEXUAL VIOLENCE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS SON PREFERENCE SPACING BETWEEN BIRTHS SPOUSAL VIOLENCE SPOUSE STATUS OF WOMEN STERILIZATION SUICIDE TELEVISION TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY UNEDUCATED WOMEN UNICEF UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNSAFE ABORTION UNSAFE ABORTIONS URBAN AREAS VICTIMS WILL WIVES WOMAN WOMEN WITH EDUCATION WOMEN'S HEALTH WORLD POPULATION YOUNG AGES YOUNG GIRLS YOUNGER WOMEN This paper is the first to show that excess mortality among adult women can be partly explained by strong preference for male children, the same cultural norm widely known to cause excess mortality before birth or at young ages. Using pooled individual-level data for India, the paper compares the age structure and anemia status of women by the sex of their first-born and uncovers several new findings. First, the share of living women with a first-born girl is a decreasing function of the women's age at the time of the survey. Second, while there are no systematic differences at the time of birth, women with a first-born girl are significantly more likely to develop anemia when young (under the age of 30) and these differences disappear for older women. Moreover, among those in the older age group, they appear to be significantly better off in terms of various predetermined characteristics. These findings are consistent with a selection effect in which maternal and adult mortality is higher for women with first-born girls, especially the poor and uneducated with limited access to health care and prenatal sex diagnostic technologies. To ensure the desired sex composition of children, these women resort to a fertility behavior medically known to increase their risk of death. The observed sex ratios for first births imply that 2.2-8.4 percent of women with first-born girls are 'missing' because of son preference between the ages of 30 and 49. 2014-03-18T19:30:44Z 2014-03-18T19:30:44Z 2014-03 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/03/19238584/adult-women-missing-son-preference-maternal-survival-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17295 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6802 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research South Asia India |