India Census GIS Interactive Map which shows gender ratio in India and other demographics

India has one of the highest female mortality rates in the world, with a sex ratio of 0.97. That is, there are only 97 women alive for every 100 men, well below the 105 women in North America and Europe. But these aggregate numbers hide the inequality within India. For example, the southern state of Kerala has a ratio of 1.04. The northern states have extremely low sex ratios: Uttar Pradesh has 0.89 and Punjab’s is 0.87.

Amartya Sen studied this regional inequality and found a distinct split based on geography. States in the Northern and Western region of India have higher ratios of female mortality than states in the South and East. In fact, he asserted that with only a couple minor exceptions, every state in the North and East has lower female ratios than every state in the South and West. Sen noted “a social and cultural divide across India, splitting the country” in half, with respect to female mortality and gender bias before birth (Sen 2001).

The map (above) shows this geographical split. It measures the ratio of girls to boys, reflecting not only the mortality rates of early childhood, but also the sex bias before birth which can result in sex-selective abortions.

Kerala: Success due to Progressive Social Programs

The southern state of Kerala has had the greatest success. Its demographics are more typical of a middle-income country, with a female-male ratio of 1.05, similar to Europe and North America. Kerala is notable in India for its progressive social programs, such as accessible health care, educational opportunities, land reform and many others. This has resulted in increased opportunities for women. The female literacy rate in Kerela is higher than the rest of India. Women have more opportunities to work outside the home. Property ownership and inheritance among women is higher too; in some areas of Kerala, property ownership is usually passed through women. These factors increase women’s agency, which improves female mortality.

Economic Growth: No automatic key to success

By economics measurements, some states in the north and west of India could be considered the most successful. Punjab and Harayana are among the richest in the country; Gujarat and Maharashtra are among those with the fastest economic growth. However, their gender ratios were as low as states in the region with no or slow economic growth. Therefore, economic resources, prosperity and GNP growth do not appear to be major factors in reducing female mortality. Higher income appears to improve overall mortality, but does not improve the female ratio. In other words, overall mortality decreases, but boys benefit more than girls.

The north and western states are varied in terms of economic conditions and growth. However, Sen found that one common characteristic among the states in this region is that they have “given much more room to religion-based sectarian politics than have the east or the south, where religion-center parties have had very little success” (Sen 2001).

Some Factors Hard to Predict

It is difficult to predict how some factors will effect female mortality rates. For example, Murthi studied access to health care to see if resource scarcity exacerbates the gender bias, due to boys receiving preferential access to resources over girls. Conversely, when other factors contribute to improvements in the standard of living, such as increases in parental literacy or growth in per-capita income, it is not always clear whether the advantages they afford are shared evenly within families, or if their benefits are distributed mainly to the boy children.

However, Murthi found that increased female literary, education and labor force participation increased women’s empowerment and reduced gender mortality bias. He found that increased literacy can have the most powerful influence and can affect change more quickly than other social factors.

Case Study: Lessons in Development

As a case study, India shows that economic growth is not a predicator of improved female mortality. Female literacy and education can help empower women not only in their lives, but in their opportunity to live. Female labor force participation and property ownership can be key contributors, too. There is some debate about the degree to which each factor contributes to the issue of gender bias in mortality. However, there is agreement among scholars that empowerment of women improves their agency and reduces gender biased mortality.

References

Chasin, Barbara, Franke, Richard W., (1991) “The Kerala Difference,” New York Review of Books, October 24, 1991.

Murthi, Mamta, et al, (1995) “Mortality Fertility and Gender Bias in India: A District Level Analysis”, June 1995.

Sen, A. (2001), “Many Faces of Gender Inequality”, The Frontline, October 27, 2001.

Sen, A. (1990). "More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing" New York Review of Books (12/20/90): 61-66.