Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal

Sonia Bhalotra, Abhishek Chakravarty, Dilip Mookherjee and Francisco Pino

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2019, vol. 11, issue 2, 205-37

Abstract: We examine intra-household gender-differentiated effects of property rights securitisation following West Bengal's tenancy registration program, using two independently gathered datasets. In both samples, higher program implementation increased male child survival rates in families without a firstborn son, but not in those that already have a firstborn male child. We argue this reflects intensified son preference as land rights improve, ostensibly to ensure a male heir to inherit land. Consistent with this, girls with firstborn brothers also experience increased survival, but not girls with firstborn sisters. The gender bias manifests both in infant mortality rates and the sex ratio at birth.

JEL-codes: D13 I12 J16 O15 O17 P14 Q15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20160262
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal (2016)
Working Paper: Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal (2016)
Working Paper: Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal (2016)
Working Paper: Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal
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