"A Turning Point in Gender Bias in Mortality? An Update on the
Number of 'Missing Women'"
BY: STEPHAN KLASEN
University of Munich (LMU)
Department of Economics
CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo
Institute for Economic Research)
CLAUDIA WINK
DEG-German Investment and Development Company
Document: Available from the SSRN Electronic Paper Collection:
http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=287035
Paper ID: Munich Discussion Paper Series No. 01-13
Date: October 1, 2001
Contact: STEPHAN KLASEN
Email: Mailto:Klasen at lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Postal: University of Munich (LMU)
Department of Economics
Ludwigstrasse 28
D-80539 Munich, GERMANY
Phone: +49-89-21802459
Fax: +49-89-21803954
Co-Auth: CLAUDIA WINK
Email: Mailto:wi at deginvest.de
Postal: DEG-German Investment and Development Company
Postfach 45 03 40
D-50878 Cologne, GERMANY
ABSTRACT:
Amartya Sen started an important debate about the magnitude of
the female survival disadvantage in parts of the developing
world by defining the term "missing women" and estimating its
number. In this paper we provide an update on the number of
missing women based on most recent demographic data. Our
preferred estimate suggests that the number of missing women
currently stands at about 106 million. This presents an absolute
worsening, but a relative improvement, compared to earlier
estimates. There are, however, great regional differences in
these time trends. After significant improvements in Bangladesh
and Pakistan, India now has the highest share of missing
females. While the most important correlates of excess female
mortality (in particular women's education and women's
employment) have improved in most regions and contributed to the
relative improvement, improved methods of discrimination against
females have ensured that discrimination against young girls in
particular is increasing in some regions. In this context, sex
selective abortions appear to become a more important mechanism
of gender bias in mortality in China and India.
Keywords: Missing Women, Gender Bias, Mortality, Developing
Countries