Consumption smoothing and excess female mortality in rural India
Rose, E.
Working Paper Seattle Population Research Center (95-1): 20 pp.
1995
DOI: 10.1162/003465399767923809Document Number: 290658
The relationship between consumption smoothing and excess female mortality in India is examined. It is examined whether rainfall incidence increases the likelihood that a girl survives until school age relative to a boy. Data for the study were obtained from the Additional Rural Income Survey [ARIS] and from a retrospective fertility survey. The ARIS included district level rainfall data collected by the World Bank. The results support a relationship between consumption smoothing and excess female mortality: rainfall incidence increases the likelihood that a girl survives until school age relative to that of a boy. A policy implication is that providing institutions that facilitate consumption smoothing may reduce the pressure on rural households to cope with adverse shocks by sacrificing the survival of their daughters.