ERIC Number: EJ1013218
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 43
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-166X
EISSN: N/A
Discrimination Begins in the Womb: Evidence of Sex- Selective Prenatal Investments
Bharadwaj, Prashant; Lakdawala, Leah K.
Journal of Human Resources, v48 n1 p71-113 Win 2013
This paper investigates whether boys receive preferential prenatal treatment
in a setting where son preference is present. Using micro health data from
India, we highlight sex-selective prenatal investments as a new channel via
which parents practice discriminatory behavior. We find that mothers visit
antenatal clinics and receive tetanus shots more frequently when pregnant
with a boy. Preferential prenatal treatment of males is greater in regions
known to have strong son preference and among women whose previous
children are female. We address other mechanisms such as selective recall,
medical complications that might cause male fetuses to receive greater
prenatal care in general, son preference- based fertility stopping rules and
biases due to sex-selective abortions. Our calculations suggest that sex-
selective prenatal care in maternal tetanus vaccination explains between
2.6--7.2 percent of excess female neonatal mortality in India. (Contains 8 tables, 1 figure, and 30 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Social Bias, Foreign Countries, Gender Discrimination, Prenatal Care, Males, Females, Medical Services, Pregnancy, Immunization Programs, Infant Mortality, Sons, Daughters
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A