Life and death under son preference: Economic stress, fertility, and early-life mortality in rural Spain, 1800–1910

Marco-Gracia, Francisco J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Beltrán Tapia, Francisco J. ; Luque de Haro, Víctor A.

Resumen: Based on longitudinal micro data from 13 Spanish rural villages between 1800 and 1910, this paper assesses whether discriminatory practices affected fertility and sex-specific mortality in infancy and childhood during economic crises. Our contribution is twofold. On the one hand, there is a connection between short-term economic stress, fertility, and sex ratios at baptism: high-price years were followed by a decline in the number of registered baptisms and by an increase in sex ratios at baptism. These results, therefore, suggest that families mortally neglected a significant fraction of their female babies during economic crises. On the other hand, there is a connection between short-term economic stress, mortality, and sex ratios at death. Using death registers further supports this interpretation, since our evidence shows that the female biological advantage was not visible after an economic shock.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1017/S0956793324000244

Año: 2025

Publicado en: RURAL HISTORY-ECONOMY SOCIETY CULTURE (2025), 1-21
ISSN: 0956-7933

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Hª e Instituc.Económ. (Dpto. Economía Aplicada)