Property Rights and Gender Bias: Evidence from Land Reform in West Bengal
56 Pages Posted: 1 Jun 2016 Last revised: 20 Sep 2023
Abstract
While land reforms are typically pursued in order to raise productivity and reduce inequality across households, an unintended consequence may be increased within-household gender inequality. We analyse a tenancy registration programme in West Bengal, and find that it increased child survival and reduced fertility. However, we also find that it intensified son preference in families without a first-born son to inherit the land title. These families exhibit no reduction in fertility, an increase in the probability that a subsequent birth is male, and a substantial increase in the survival advantage of subsequent sons over daughters.
Keywords: fertility, infant mortality, land reform, gender, property rights, sex ratio
JEL Classification: I14, I24, J71, O15
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation