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Ancestral ecological endowments and missing women

Author

Listed:
  • Gautam Hazarika

    (The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley)

  • Chandan Kumar Jha

    (Le Moyne College)

  • Sudipta Sarangi

    (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between ecological endowments in antiquity and contemporary female to male sex ratios in the population. It is found that there are proportionately more missing women in countries whose ancestral ecological endowments were poorer. This relationship is shown to be strong even after ancestral plough use, the timing of the Neolithic Transition, and many other potentially confounding factors are controlled for. Similar results are also obtained using district-level data from India.

Suggested Citation

  • Gautam Hazarika & Chandan Kumar Jha & Sudipta Sarangi, 2019. "Ancestral ecological endowments and missing women," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(4), pages 1101-1123, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:32:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-018-0723-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-018-0723-y
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    2. Santos Silva, Manuel & Alexander, Amy C. & Klasen, Stephan & Welzel, Christian, 2023. "The roots of female emancipation: Initializing role of Cool Water," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 133-159.
    3. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Mansoor, Nazia & Randazzo, Teresa & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2021. "Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Fredriksson, Per G. & Gupta, Satyendra Kumar, 2020. "Irrigation and Culture: Gender Roles and Women’s Rights," GLO Discussion Paper Series 681, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Keiti Kondi, 2023. "Gender Gap, Intra Household Bargaining and Sex Selective Abortion in Albania," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2023003, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    6. Chandan Kumar Jha & Sudipta Sarangi & Ishita Tripathi, 2023. "Do historical agro-ecological factors shape current attitudes towards women’s rights and abilities?," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 87-104, July.
    7. Jha, Chandan Kumar & Sarangi, Sudipta, 2020. "Arable Land in Antiquity Explains Modern Gender Inequality," MPRA Paper 104336, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Deniz Güvercin, 2020. "Women in Politics and Child Labor: an Instrumental Variable Approach," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(4), pages 873-888, September.
    9. Diebolt, Claude & Mishra, Tapas & Perrin, Faustine, 2021. "Gender empowerment as an enforcer of individuals’ choice between education and fertility: Evidence from 19th century France," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 408-438.
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