Dowry is often adduced as an explanation of son preference in India, but there is little evidence that dowry motivates … son-preferring behaviours. On the premise that gold is an integral part of dowry, we use variation in gold prices to …-in-discontinuities design, find that the gold price hike is mirrored in an increase in girl relative to boy mortality in the neonatal and infant …

selection, result in the excess mortality of girls, and skew child sex ratios in favor of boys. Every year, 1.8 million girls … suggests that there is no conclusive evidence that direct approaches reduce the higher mortality risk for girls. Bans on the … use of such practices is reflective of the striking inequities girls face today, and it also has negative implications for …