Were there missing girls in Biscay? Sex ratios in Northern Spain, 1550-1899

Elena Catalán Martínez
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Elena Catalán Martínez: Universidad del País Vasco (UVP/EHU)

Investigaciones de Historia Económica - Economic History Research (IHE-EHR), Journal of the Spanish Economic History Association, 2023, vol. 19, issue 03, 12-24

Abstract: This paper seeks to contribute to the knowledge of sex ratios at birth, their long-term evolution, and their determinants, on a sound documentary base of almost one million records between 1550 and 1890. The region studied likewise offers the advantage of being industrialised at the end of the observation period, which allows relevant conclusions to be drawn about the effect of modern economic growth on family decisions regarding their offspring. The main conclusions include the preference for males in the rural world, favoured by the inheritance regime and the scarce ecclesiastical regulation in this territory, while the city levels were similar to those of other European cities. From the 18th century onwards, a stability around the reference values in all areas could be observed and which was only broken by the economic and social changes during industrialisation. KEY Classification-JEL: N33; J11; J13; J16

Keywords: Sex ratios at birth; Sex ratios in childhood; Gender discrimination; Foundings; Industrialisation. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ahe:invest:v:19:y:2023:i:03:p:12-24

DOI: 10.33231/j.ihe.2023.03.004

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