Working Paper Number
2009-06
Publication Date
2009
Abstract
This paper empirically tests for two competing explanations of the increasing sex ratio at birth (SRB) in India: hepatitis B and human intervention. Estimating a male- preferring stopping rule with data from three rounds of the National Family Health Survey in India (1992, 1998 and 2005), I find that the probability of a male birth varies significantly across birth parities. Using a novel proxy for hepatitis B in India - tribal status - I also find that hepatitis B has no impact on the probability of male birth. I conclude that human intervention explains the increasing SRB in India.
Recommended Citation
Basu, Deepankar, "Son Preference, Sex Selection and the Problem of Missing Women in India" (2009). Economics Department Working Paper Series. 8.
Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/econ_workingpaper/8