Female Mortality Disadvantage in India

Abstract

Sons are considered more valuable than daughters in India, due to a strong patriarchal society. This preference often ensures sons a higher chance of survival than daughters. A girl may suffer from significant mortality disadvantages such as prenatal sex selection and post-natal discrimination, an excess female infant mortality. While female mortality disadvantage creates a large number of missing girls in India, prevalence varies by state. The objective of this study was to estimate the number, percentage, and source of female mortality disadvantage.