A turning point in gender bias in mortality? An update on the number of missing women

摘要

In articles published in 1989 and 1990, Amartya Sen estimated that some 100 million women--referring to females of all ages--were "missing" as a result of higher than expected (or "excess") female mortality in parts of the developing world, most notably South Asia, China, West Asia, and parts of North Africa (Sen 1989; 1990b). He proposed that in settings exhibiting such excess female mortality rates relative to male rates, the excess female deaths reflected discriminatory treatment of women. Coale(1991) and Klasen (1994b), using more elaborate demographic techniques, arrived at figures that varied between 60 million (Coale) and 90 million (Klasen) excess female deaths. All three estimates confirmed the toll excess female mortality was exacting onwomen in these parts of the world.