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Girls and boys: economic crisis, fertility, and birth outcomes

Author

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  • Lee, Soohyung
  • Orsini, Chiara

Abstract

We investigate the impact of an economic downturn on natality and birth weight for newborns when parents prefer sons. We examine South Korea, unexpectedly hit by the Asian financial crisis in 1997. For identification, we exploit regional and time variation in the crisis, focusing on women who were already pregnant when the downturn began. We find that the number of girls would have been 2% higher absent the crisis and that birth outcomes for girls were no better than those for boys—findings that differ from the Trivers–Willard Hypothesis. This relative disadvantage of girls is more severe among newborns who have at least two older siblings.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Soohyung & Orsini, Chiara, 2018. "Girls and boys: economic crisis, fertility, and birth outcomes," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 90192, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:90192
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/90192/
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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. van den Berg, Gerard J. & Paul, Alexander & Reinhold, Steffen, 2020. "Economic conditions and the health of newborns: Evidence from comprehensive register data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Hoyong Jung, 2023. "Can Universal Cash Transfer Save Newborns’ Birth Weight During the Pandemic?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(1), pages 1-22, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; birth outcomes; economic crisis; sex ratio; Trivers-Willard hypothesis; scarring;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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