Decomposition of gender differential in malnutrition in Indian children

Abstract

The nutritional status and health of Indian children is exacerbated due to poor and inadequate diet. However, intra-household gender disparity in provision of nutrition, health care and allocation of food increases the plight of the girl child. The prevalence of son preference in the Indian society has led to make the sex ratio more masculine in the recent years. The present paper tries to capture the gender differential in malnutrition and other health indicators. The paper found considerable heterogeneity existing in nutrient intake in India across both genders in various states. The study showed how different child-specific, household and exogenous factors manifest in gender disparity in nutritional status. The decomposition of the gender gap in underweight children showed that the difference in effect of the determinant affected the gender gap more than the difference in distribution of the factors. This shows the prevalence of some gender favouritism toward the male children in nutritional outcomes is as effective as the difference in endowment of the factors against the girl child.