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Association between the total fertility rate and under-five child sex ratio in India: a panel study among districts of the major states

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2019

Ajit Kumar Yadav Open the ORCID record for Ajit Kumar Yadav [Opens in a new window] ,
Akansha Singh  and
Faujdar Ram
Ajit Kumar Yadav*
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India
Akansha Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Durham University, UK
Faujdar Ram
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ajitkumaryadav1989@gmail.com
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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the total fertility rate and under-five child sex ratio to understand the role of fertility in the phenomenon of missing girls in India. Using data from the last four decennial censuses for the fifteen major states of India and their districts, covering more than 90% of the population of India, the study showed that there was a major decline in the female to male child sex ratio from 1981 to 2011 in most of the major Indian states and their districts. The panel regression model showed that the total fertility rate was significantly associated with the under-five child sex ratio at the district level for the 30-year period from 1981 to 2011 in India, even after controlling for other factors and any other unobserved heterogeneity. This indicates that areas of India with the highest fertility had the higher female to male child sex ratio, while low-fertility districts had a more male-biased sex ratio.

Keywords

DemographicChild sex ratioPanel regression
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 52 , Issue 4 , July 2020 , pp. 514 - 522
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2019

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