Does the prenatal factor or the postnatal factor contribute more to changes in the child sex ratio in India? An investigation in the context of fertility and mortality transition

There has been a drastic decline in the child sex ratio (number of females per 1000 males between ages 0 and 4) in India and many of its states. This study aimed to examine if prenatal factors, such as change in sex ratio at birth, or postnatal factors, such as change in relative mortality of females and males, contribute to this more by analysing the dynamics of the child sex ratio. Changes in the child sex ratio during 2001–2011 were decomposed into a ‘fertility’ component attributable to prenatal sex selection and a ‘mortality’ component attributable to sex differentials in postnatal survival at the country as well as the state level. Between the prenatal factor and the postnatal factor, the contribution of the latter to the declining child sex ratio has been greater than the former in India as a whole and in most of the states. By focusing on both prenatal and postnatal factors, the imbalance in the child sex ratio in the country can be reduced to a large extent.

A scoping review of methods for assessment of sex differentials in early childhood mortality

Background While assessment of sex differentials in child mortality is straightforward, their interpretation must consider that, in the absence of gender bias, boys are more likely to die than girls. The expected differences are also influenced by levels and causes of death. However, there is no standard approach for determining expected sex differences. Methods We performed a scoping review of studies on sex differentials in under-five mortality, using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Publication characteristics were described, and studies were grouped according to their methodology. Results From the 17,693 references initially retrieved we included 154 studies published since 1929. Indian, Bangladeshi, and Chinese populations were the focus of 44% of the works, and most studies addressed infant mortality. Fourteen publications were classified as reference studies, as these aimed to estimate expected sex differentials based upon the demographic experience of selected populations, either considered as gender-neutral or not. These studies used a variety of methods – from simple averages to sophisticated modeling – to define values against which observed estimates could be compared. The 21 comparative studies mostly used life tables from European populations as standard for expected values, but also relied on groups without assuming those values as expected, otherwise, just as comparison parameters. The remaining 119 studies were categorized as narrative and did not use reference values, being limited to reporting observed sex-specific estimates or used a variety of statistical models, and in general, did not account for mortality levels. Conclusion Studies aimed at identifying sex differentials in child mortality should consider overall mortality levels, and report on more than one age group. The comparison of results with one or more reference values, and the use of statistical testing, are strongly recommended. Time trends analyses will help understand changes in population characteristics and interpret findings from a historical perspective.

What has contributed to the large sex differentials in lifespan variation and life expectancy in South Korea?

To date, research on sex differentials in lifespan variation and life expectancy has mainly been conducted in Western countries and there is a dearth of data from South Korea. This study aimed to further the understanding of mortality transition and life expectancy in South Korea, and the associated trajectories of age-at-death variation, through an analysis of life disparity by gender. Using complete life tables for South Korea for 1970–2015, sex differentials (female–male differences) in life disparity and life expectancy at birth were estimated, and sex differentials in life expectancy were decomposed by age and cause of death. The results showed that sex differentials in life expectancy at birth have not reduced significantly in the last 45 years (1970: 7.1 years; 2015: 6.2 years). Life disparity has reduced more rapidly for females than males, and the difference increased from −0.1 year in 1981 to −1.6 years in 2015. Sex differentials in life expectancy and life disparity in South Korea were higher during 1970–2015 than in several Western countries with high life expectancy. The elderly age group (60 and above) contributed 50% of the total sex difference in life expectancy at birth in 1970, and this increased to 70% in 2015. The contribution of the age group 15–59 years reduced significantly over the period. Decomposition of life expectancy at birth by cause revealed that diseases of the circulatory system (2.2 years), followed by external causes (1.3 years), were the most important causes of the sex differences in life expectancy at birth in 1983, and in 2015 neoplasms (2.2 years) and external causes (1.1 years) explained half of the total sex differences. There has been a significant shift in the age-specific pattern of the contribution towards each cause of death. Overall, sex differentials in life disparity and life expectancy at birth have remained significant in South Korea in the last 45 years.

On the Reversal of Historic ‘Superiority’ of Tribal Mortality and Gender Relations in India

Given that population sex ratio and sex differentials in mortality are the two commonly employed indicators of gender-discrimination/anti-female biases in intra-household distribution of resources, this article performs two major tasks: (a) it reviews existing estimates of sex differentials in mortality among tribal (ST) children (including neonates) up to 6 years of age (in comparison with those of their counterparts of SC and other communities) and (b) it presents and analyses the author’s own estimates of sex-specific infant and child mortality rates separately for ST, SC and other social categories at all-India level by utilising three consecutive National Family Health Survey data. It is shown that the picture of tribal gender relations, while having traditionally been more balanced and equitable, has of late been one of trailing or having caught up with long-standing, albeit unenviable, mainstream anti-female features, resulting in an annihilation of a potentially rewarding opportunity for mainstream to learn from pristine tribal culture ideologically supportive of gender balance and equality.