Excess Female Infant Mortality And The Gender Gap In Infant Care In Bihar, India
利用印度三次全国家庭健康调查数据，分析比哈尔邦女婴超额死亡率及其与婴儿护理中性别差距的关系，发现卡介苗接种的性别差距是主要驱动因素。
This paper analyzes excess female infant mortality and the gender gap in infant care in the East-Central state of Bihar, India. Using pooled data from three waves of the National Family Health Surveys (1992–3; 1998–9; 2005–6) in a panel analysis, it compares female infant mortality rates in Bihar to those in thirteen major Indian states. These comparisons suggest that females in Bihar experience a statistically significant excess infant mortality when compared to female infants in less gender-biased states in eastern, western, and southern regions, but not when compared to more gender-biased states in northern and central regions. An estimated 23 percent of female infant deaths in Bihar are excess. Examination of infant care demonstrates that a gender gap in Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination is the single most important driver of excess female infant mortality, followed by gaps in vaccination for polio; diphtheria, pertussis, tuberculosis (DPT); and measles.