How Does Economic Inequality Affect Infanticide Rates? An Analysis of 15 Years of Death Records and Representative Economic Data

Seong-Uk Baek, Sung-Shil Lim, Jihyun Kim and Jin-Ha Yoon
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Seong-Uk Baek: College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
Sung-Shil Lim: The Institute for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
Jihyun Kim: The Institute for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
Jin-Ha Yoon: The Institute for Occupational Health, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Is there a relationship between economic inequality and infanticide rates? Few studies have examined the socioeconomic factors that trigger infanticide. This study aims to statistically analyze the effect of these factors on infanticide rates. Methods: This study used infant death records in South Korea from 2003 to 2017 to assess the impact of unemployment rates and various statistical indicators (e.g., GDP and income inequality index) on the rate of infanticide. A generalized additive model and a quasi-Poisson regression were used for statistical analyses. Results: A time-trend analysis shows that the infanticide rate tended to grow despite a decreasing trend in the quarterly infant mortality rate. A 1% increase in the unemployment rate is associated with a significant rise in the relative risk of infanticide after a lag of two quarters. Relative risks increased significantly three and four quarters after a 0.1 rise in the p80/p20 ratio (income inequality index). Conclusions: Policymakers should pay attention to socioeconomic factors while formulating healthcare regulations to protect potential infanticide victims, including vulnerable infants and their parents.

Keywords: infanticide; inequality; economic recession; unemployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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