Sex Discrimination in India Begins in the Womb: Study

Tetanus is the leading cause of neo-natal deaths in India. According to the study, children whose mothers had not received a tetanus vaccination were more likely to be born underweight or die shortly after birth.

The researchers — the first to study sex discrimination in prenatal care — also looked at smaller data sets from other countries.

In other patriarchal nations of China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, evidence of sex-discrimination in the womb existed.

But in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ghana — which are not considered male-dominated — no such evidence existed.

“This type of discrimination we’re seeing, while not as severe as sex-selective abortion, is very important for children’s health and well-being,” Lakdawala said.

Given that previous research has linked early childhood health to later outcomes, sex discrimination in pre-natal care might also have long-term effects.

“We know that children born at higher birth weights go to school for longer periods and have higher wages as adults, so the future implications here are pretty serious,” Lakdawala said.

The study appears in the Journal of Human Resources.

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