Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17189
Authors: Bishnupriya Gupta; James Fenske; Cora Neumann
Abstract: We construct novel data on female population shares by age, district, and religion in South Asia from 1881 to 1931. Sex ratios skew male in Northern India and are more balanced in Southern and Eastern India, including Burma. Male-biased sex ratios emerge most visibly after age 10, and this is not specific to any one region, religion, or time period. Sikhs have the most male-biased sex ratios, followed by Hindus, Muslims, and Jains. The female share correlates across religious groups within districts. Evidence that sex ratios correlate with suitability for wheat and rice is weaker than suggested by the existing literature.
Keywords: missing women; colonial India; sex ratios; gender dynamics; economic history
JEL Codes: J16; N35
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| geographic norms (R12) | sex ratios (J79) |
| geography (R12) | sex ratios (J79) |
| age (J14) | male-biased sex ratios (J79) |
| historical factors (B15) | sex ratios (J79) |
| agricultural suitability (Q15) | sex ratios (J79) |
| religion (Z12) | sex ratios (J79) |
| historical sex ratios (J19) | contemporary sex ratios (J79) |
| social norms (Z13) | male-biased sex ratios (J79) |
| religious identity (Z12) | male-biased sex ratios (J79) |