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Diverging Stories of “Missing Women” in South Asia: Is Son Preference Weakening in Bangladesh?

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  • Naila Kabeer
  • Lopita Huq
  • Simeen Mahmud

Abstract

South Asia is a region characterized by a culture of son preference, severe discrimination against daughters, and excess levels of female mortality, leading to what Amartya Sen called the phenomenon of “missing women.” However, the onset of fertility decline across the region has been accompanied by considerable divergence in this phenomenon. In India, improvements in overall life expectancy have closed the gender gap in mortality rates among adults, but persisting gender discrimination among children and increasing resort to female-selective abortion has led to growing imbalance in child sex ratios and sex ratios at birth. In Bangladesh, by contrast, fertility decline has been accompanied by a closing of the gender gap in mortality in all age groups. Using quantitative and qualitative data, this study explores changing attitudes toward sons and daughters in Bangladesh to explain why the phenomenon of “missing women” has played out so differently in these two neighboring countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Naila Kabeer & Lopita Huq & Simeen Mahmud, 2014. "Diverging Stories of “Missing Women” in South Asia: Is Son Preference Weakening in Bangladesh?," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 138-163, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:20:y:2014:i:4:p:138-163
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2013.857423
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    Cited by:

    1. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Mansoor, Nazia & Randazzo, Teresa & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2021. "Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    2. Saswata Ghosh & Aparajita Chattopadhyay, 2017. "Religion, Contraceptive Method Mix, and Son Preference Among Bengali-Speaking Community of Indian Subcontinent," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(6), pages 929-959, December.
    3. Ashwini Deshpande & Apoorva Gupta, 2019. "Nakusha? Son Preference, Resource Concentration and Gender Gaps in Education," Working Papers 13, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    4. Susana Martínez-Restrepo & Juliana Ramírez & Angélica Castillo & Laura Castrillón-Guerrero & Isabel Calero & Juliana Mejía & Lina Tafur, 2021. "El continuum de las violencias basadas en género en el contexto del conflicto armado colombiano y su relación con el empoderamiento económico de las sobrevivientes," Informes de Investigación 19447, Fedesarrollo.
    5. Murshid, Nadine Shaanta, 2017. "Parents, friends, and depression: A multi-country study of adolescents in South Asia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 160-165.
    6. Ashwini Deshpande & Apoorva Gupta, 2019. "Nakusha? Son Preference, Resource Concentration and Gender Gaps in Education," Working Papers 1020, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.
    7. Siddique, Abu & Islam, Asad & Mozumder, Tanvir Ahmed & Rahman, Tabassum & Shatil, Tanvir, 2022. "Forced Displacement, Mental Health, and Child Development: Evidence from the Rohingya Refugees," SocArXiv b4fc7, Center for Open Science.
    8. John R. Bowen, 2017. "Gender, Islam, and law," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-152, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. John R. Bowen, 2017. "Gender, Islam, and law," Working Papers id:11970, eSocialSciences.
    10. Elena Ambrosetti & Livia Elisa Ortensi & Cinzia Castagnaro & Marina Attili, 2022. "Skewed Sex Ratios at Birth in Italian Migrant Populations: Evidence from a Longitudinal Register 1999–2017," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(2), pages 301-315, May.
    11. Tushar Bharati & Adnan M. S. Fakir, 2022. "Health Costs of a “Healthy Democracy”: The Impact of Peaceful Political Protests on Healthcare Utilization," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 22-15, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    12. Hoque Nazmul & Boulier Bryan L., 2020. "Hi-tech Sexism? Evidence from Bangladesh," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(3), pages 1-39, July.
    13. Mario Biggeri & Jose Antonio Cuesta, 2021. "An Integrated Framework for Child Poverty and Well-Being Measurement: Reconciling Theories," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 821-846, April.
    14. John R. Bowen, 2017. "Gender, Islam, and law," WIDER Working Paper Series 152, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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