This paper examines the impact of India's 1991 tariff reform on fertility and child health outcomes in rural areas. In relative terms, women more exposed to tariff cuts are more likely to give birth, and these births are more likely to be female. These results are primarily driven by low caste, uneducated, and low wealth mothers. Moreover, infant mortality decreases for girls (but not boys) born in low status families in rural areas more exposed to tariff reductions, suggesting that socially

more »

... advantaged households invest more in daughters to take advantage of new economic opportunities resulting from trade liberalization. On the other hand, fertility decreases and mortality for girls increases for high status women, who also exhibit a weak increase in sex ratio at birth in response to the trade reform. JEL F13, I15, J12, J13, J16, J82, O15, O18, O19, O24