Mortality, Fertility and Gender Bias in Developing World: a

case of selected Asian Countries

Synopsis for: M. Phil Economic

Sadia Ghazi

Diyashah169@gmail.com

Session: 2016-2018

Supervisor: Dr. FAREED SHARIF

Fareedsharif76@gmail.com

National College of Business Administration & Economics

Multan campus (11/B Gulgasht colony, Bosan Road,
MULTAN)

E-MAIL: info@ncbae.edu.pk

Website: www.ncbae.edu.pk
Working Title
Mortality, Fertility and Gender Bias in Developing World: A case of selected Asian
Countries.
Statement of Topic and Aim
The aim of this study is to analysis the effect of Mortality, Fertility and Gender Bias in
Developing World a case of selected Asian countries.

Introduction
Gender bias has a close relationship with fertility rate and mortality rate f the country.
There exist many gender inequalities in education, health outcomes and employment
in developing countries like some of the Asians countries. Women and girls in some
of Asian countries facing high mortality rates and it referred as “missing women”
(Sen, 1989; Klasen, 1994).
There exists high discrimination in education sector between the sexes. There also
exist high pay differences and employment opportunities in Asian countries.
Mortality of women generated as the outcome of gender bias in health care and some
of the other necessities. Due to unavoidable reproductive role women are dying
needless because of gender bias health resource allocation (Chirowa, 2013).
Through educational investment a country can decline its child mortaliy and fertility
which might be cheaper then to invest each surviving child (Turan, 2011).
Apart from the gender inequality the concern of an individual is about instrumental
effect of gender bias. Number of development goals is negatively related to the gender
inequality.
Educational gender inequality prevents child mortality reduction and the educational
expensing to the next generation. Gender inequality also reduces the economic
growth. Past experiences indicated that economic growth on average, further well
beings like literacy and poverty reduction demonstrated time to time, although not
same extent of all types of growth (Pritchelt and Summers, 1996).
This paper concerned the impact of gender bias on the mortality and fertility of some
of the Asian countries. It will also show the negative impact of gender bias on
economic growth and leads to child mortality and fertility.
Objective of the Study
The study would achieve following objectives.
 To Explore the Trends of mortality and fertility in selected developing
countries.
 To examine how mortality and fertility rates are related to gender bias.
 To see how gender bias in health sector affecting economic growth in the
country.
 To enlist some policy implications.

Research Question
Some of the questions regarding the study are
 How gender bias effect fertility and mortality rate of the country?
 What is the relationship between gender bias and economic growth?

Hypothesis
H0: gender bias has no effect on mortality and fertility rates
H1: gender bias has effect on mortality and fertility rates

Reviews of Previous Studies:

Murthi et al. (1995) examined mortality, fertility and gender bias in India. The study
highlighted the determination of birth, child death in India with the district – level
data from one year data 1981 of India. The main point use labor force work,
urbanization and health facilities. Female literacy reduced the child birth and death
level and the survival of child female bear disadvantages. Variable refers the general
level of development and modernization it have weak impact on birth and death rate.
It results the female disadvantages in child is reduce in district with high poverty rate.

William et al. (1991) suggested that gender and the socioeconomic gradient in
mortality with the help of data from 1972 to 1991b using the discrete time analysis.
Here some explanatory variable that changes the mortality through the change in
gender and socioeconomic factors. There are directs strong connection among both
variable but in case of female these relationship have less effect. According to that
article there is a difference in the money earning due to gender change.

Klason (2000) explained that does gender inequality reduce growth and development
evidences from cross- countries regression by using the panel data from 1960 to 1992
with the help of multivariate analysis. Author used dependent and independent
variable that affect the GDP of the economy. According to that article due to enhance
gender inequality in education and employment leads to decline progress and GDP of
the economy. If the average quality in human capital is less, it has a positive effect on
growth rate. Due to increase in education birth rate decreased as well as child death
rate. So that the country start to achieved development.

Chanberlain and Gill (2005) examined fertility and mortality in U.K during the period
descriptive analysis. According to that article birth and death rate have changed
greatly during the last century in the U.K. In the recent 30 year childbearing behavior
and less birth rate are important and also reduces in family size. During the nineteen
fifty increased in existence elderly and pensionable age people. Due to decline in
fertility and transfer mentality at old ages, Leads to enhance the middle age people in
the population. In the 21st both are decline in the focus country.

Ashraf (2006) disclosed the linkage between maternal mortality risk and the gender
gap in Desired fertility in Zambia. The study used the period from 2010 to 2016 with
the help of ministry of health and local NGOs. In Sub–Saharan death rate of women
during pregnancy are greater due to the reason of motherly and place of child born. So
that needs to improve people health centers and awareness about that issue for
decreasing the mother death rate. According to that paper male understand the
problem about pregnancy and start less demand for babies. NGOs and researcher are
providing knowledge relating to the risk of parental death to women and get positive
results.

Subramanian et al. (2006) analyzed the mortality divide for the case of India either
east, gender and standard of living affect it or not. The study used cross sectional data
of 529321 individual of 92486 Indian household, where urbanization depended upon
household, local areas, district and state. The study concluded that mortality burden
for lower cast groups has an economically disadvantages. State level variation
underlined ecology in mortality divides. Here mortality divides in India has negative
effect on the economy. Hence it was recommended that these differences should
reduce.

Luis Angeles (2008) analyzed the effect of death rate reduce on birth rate is one of the
main part focuses by the recent growth to explain demographic transaction We study
the empirical relevance of this mechanism based on the experience of all countries
since 1960. We differences between effect on grass and net fertility, take the dynamic
of relation and control alternative explanatory factors for endogenity. Results shows
the death policy a big role in birth low, so the birth behavior change come lag of about
10 year and both discussed factors are affected. We find little support for explanations
of the demographic transaction based on economic development or technological.

Pujol (2010) highlighted the methodology of mortality estimates and projection by

age and sex twenty century of Latin American during the period from 1950 to 2050
with the help of component model as well as other method like socio demographic
indicator and various inputs used that are helpful for planning activities. That article
based on the life table. Life expectation at birth rate id measured for the five year
along with man and women allowing to their sex are attained through projection
period. In which birth and death rate are measured by the life table.

Turan (2011) found the impact of mortality, fertility and capital investment in
immunization programs of India. The study used time series data for 1992 to 2006
where there different model was used. Child mortality fertility and education
respectively depended upon immunization rate initial mortality and its interaction.
The study concluded that one percent decline in child mortality reduced birth rate five
percent. Hence there exist positive relationships among the variables. Fall in child
mortality reduced birth rate. It was recommended that to reduce the birth rate, the
mortality rate should reduce.

Chirowa et al. (2013) disclosed the impact of gender inequality and health
expenditure on maternal mortality for the case of Pakistan. Three types of gender
inequality index were used that were reproductive health, labor force participation and
women empowerment the study used secondary data where gender inequality
depended upon health expenditure and maternal mortality. The study concludes that
high gender inequality was associated with greater maternal mortality rate. Hence
there exists positive relationship among the variables. Systematic gender inequality
occurs at social, macro and household level.

Table: Summary of the Studies on Mortality, Fertility and Gender

Bias:
Sr. References Data Type Variables Methodology Results
No.
1 Murthi et Primary male literacy, Negative
al. (1995) urbanization, impact of
medical facilities fertility and
availability, per- mortality
capita expenditure,
2 William et Secondary Age, Education, No gender
al. (1991) earned income, effect was
spouse education, found
spouse earned
income
3 Klason Secondary Investment rate, Direct
(2000) population growth negative
rate, labor force impact of
growth rate, years of
gender
schooling, Female-
inequality
Male ratio, growth in
on economic
total years of
growth
schooling, Female-
Male ratio of the
growth, female
working age
population, cross-
country growth
4 Chanberla Secondary Fertility rate, Family size
in and Gill mortality rate, decrease,
(2005) Population, Age of childlessnes
mother, family size, s increase,
male female ratio, percentage
life expectance, birth occurs
 outside
marriage
increase
5 Ashraf Secondary Maternal mortality, Gender gap
(2006) gender gap, negatively
urbanization, affect the
fertility rate, Life maternal
expectancy, male mortality
literacy, risk
6 Subramani Primary Gender, caste, Mortality
an et al. standard of living, divides
(2006) religion, urban/rural negatively
status, affect the
growth.
7 Luis Primary Mortality, gross and GMM Large
Angeles net fertility, net estimation impact of
(2008) reproductive rate, mortality
life expectancy, changes on
years of schooling, fertility
GDP per capita, reduction
urban ratio
8 Pujol Secondary Probability of Mortality
(2010) death, Mortality can be
rate, Infant estimated by
mortality, survival age and sex
to age, No of
deaths, time lived
between ages, life
expectancy
9 Turan Secondary Immunization, Negative
(2011) initial mortality, relationship
interaction of between
immunization and mortality
initial mortality and fertility
10 Chirowa Primary Gender inequality, High gender
 et al. health expenditures, inequality
(2013) maternal mortality, negatively
male/female ratio related to
maternal
mortality

Research gap:
The present study is a contribution in the literature of demography and gender bias
with particular focus on the health outcomes of fertility and mortality rate. It is the
first study of gender inequality analysis with respect to fertility and mortality in the
developing countries.

Method/Approach:
The study would use three models to estimate the relationship between mortality,
fertility and gender bias. The model is described as follows

GD = b 0 + b1 FL + b 2 ML + b3 FLFPR + b 4Urb + b5 MF + e

Mort f = b 0 + b1 FL + b 2 ML + b 3 FLFPR + b 4Urb + b 5 MF + e

Mort m = b 0 + b1 FL + b 2 ML + b3 FLFPR + b 4Urb + b5 MF + e

FL= female literacy rate

ML= male literacy rate

FLFPR= Female labor force participation rate

Urb= urbanization

MF= provision of medical facilities

Reference:
Angeles, L. (2010). Demographic transitions: analyzing the effects of mortality on
fertility. Journal of Population Economics, 23(1), 99-120.
Brass, W. (1975). Methods for estimating fertility and mortality from limited and
defective data. Methods for estimating fertility and mortality from limited and
defective data.
Chirowa, F., Atwood, S., & Van der Putten, M. (2013). Gender inequality, health
expenditure and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: A secondary data analysis.
African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine, 5(1), 1-5.
Field, E., Voena, A., & Ziparo, R. Maternal Mortality Risk and the Gender Gap in
Desired Fertility in Zambia.
Klasen, S. (2000). Does gender inequality reduce growth and development? Evidence
from cross-country regressions.
Mathers, C. D., & Loncar, D. (2006). Projections of global mortality and burden of
disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS medicine, 3(11), e442.
Subramanian, S. V., Nandy, S., Irving, M., Gordon, D., Lambert, H., & Davey Smith,
G. (2006). The mortality divide in India: the differential contributions of gender,
caste, and standard of living across the life course. American Journal of Public
Health, 96(5), 818-825.
Turan, B. (2011). Mortality, Fertility and Human Capital Investment: Evidence from
Immunization Program in India.