Abstract

PIP: 1976 census data and data on births to 8788 ever married women from the 1980 Egyptian Fertility Survey were analyzed to determine if son preference was responsible for higher mortality among girls than among boys and what factors were associated with this higher mortality. During 0-3 years, boys were more likely to die than females. For example, the overall male-female sex ratio for the 1st year was 118:100. At ages 5, 10, 15, and 2 0, however, girls were more likely to die. The sex rations for these years were 98, 95, 93, and 91. In fact, the excess mortality among illiterate mothers accounted for most of the overall excess mortality. As mother's educational level rose, the excess mortality of girls fell, so that by university level boys experienced excess mortality (130, 111, 112, 105). Less educated mothers breast fed sons longer and waited more months after birth of a son to have another child indicating son preference, but these factors did not necessarily contribute to excess mortality. The major cause of female excess mortality in Egypt was that boys received favored treatment of digestive and respiratory illnesses as indicated by accessibility to a pharmacy (p.01). Norms/traditions and religion played a significant role in excess mortality. The effect of norms/traditions was greater than religion, however. Mother's current and past employment strongly contributed to reducing girls' mortality levels (p.01). These results indicated that Egypt should strive to increase the educational level of females and work opportunities for women to reduce female child mortality. Further, it should work to improve women's status which in turn will reduce norms/traditions that encourage son preference and higher mortality level for girls.