Economic Development, Gender Inequality, and Demographic Outcomes: Evidence from India

Abstract

This article examines the determinants of fertility, child mortality, and female disadvantage in child survival in India, using a district-level panel data set linking 1981 and 1991 censuses. The results question the dominant view that variables directly related to women's agency (specifically, the female literacy rate and the female labor force participation rate) have played the crucial roles here. Instead, variables reflecting the general level of development and modernization are shown to have had the greatest effect in reducing fertility and child mortality during the period of the study. Both economic development and women's agency are seen to have had significant effects in reducing the female disadvantage in child survival. The results suggest, however, that with continued economic development, the two women's agency variables lose their significance in influencing this disadvantage. The policy implications of these findings are considered. Copyright 2006 The Population Council, Inc..

The Missing Link Between Parents’ Preferences and Daughters’ Survival: The Moderator Effect of Societal Discrimination

“…(FIGURE 2 HERE) (Bhalotra, 2010;Bhattacharya, 2006;Kravdal, 2004;Murthi et al, 1995;Shepherd, 2008). In a similar vein, our estimates confirm that a larger family size is associated with greater mortality (Pande, 2003).…”

“…Section 4.2 discusses the robustness of this definition by employing cohort 0-5 (Bhattacharya, 2006;Murthi, Guio, & Drèze, 1995) and 0-10 in the analysis.…”

“…In this regard, females with no schooling (Bhalotra, 2010;Kravdal, 2004;Nandi, 2014), born in larger family sizes, who live in rural areas and in states located in north-northwest India appear to have less ability to fight against infant mortality (Bhattacharya, 2006;Murthi et al, 1995;Pande, 2003; see also Nandi, 2014, for evidence on the negative relationship between family size and child mortality). The ownership of durables is used as a proxy for family socioeconomic status, as it is associated with long-term household wealth.…”

Er politikk eller marked nøkkelen til likestilling i arbeidslivet?

“…Den negative koeffisienten viser imidlertid regimetypens netto effekt, altså den uavhengige effekten av demokrati etter at inntektsnivå og ikke minst kvinners politiske rettigheter er tatt høyde for. Kvinner kan komme bedre ut i mer utviklede autokratier, enn i demokratier med lav inntekt hvor kvinner samtidig har en svak stilling i samfunnet, eksempelvis India (Bhattacharya 2006;Sen 2001). Det hentyder at demokrati har liten selvstendig betydning for den økonomiske likestillingen utover effektene av kvinners politiske rettigheter.…”

The Role of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in Primary Education in Developing Nations: A Case Study of India

“…Measures to increase the education of women alongside improved health services are paramount for women's empowerment and societal status, which also uplift their household (Hossain & Hoque, 2015;Arora, 2012). Female education is also linked to many other development indicators such as increased child education and reduction of fertility and child mortality rates (Bhattacharya, 2006). In addition, it is also important for the government to give special attention to women and girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and castes such those belonging to the more traditional communities of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), where extreme degrees of inequality are prevalent (Dunn, 1993).…”