There exist large variations in juvenile sex ratios across districts and social groups in India. Economic and cultural factors have been advanced as contending explanations for these variations. We propose a household optimization model that integrates cultural explanations with economic ones....

The ratio of women to men in India reveals excess female mortality by comparison with developed countries; this excess is socially not naturally determined. Juvenile sex ratios combine excess male infant mortality in poor health environments with excess female child mortality due to...