Gender Disparity in Child Care in India

This paper aims to assess gender discrimination in childcarepractices in India and its EAG states. It also investigates whether this discrimination is declining with time or not. For this purpose data are taken from base line of Annual Health Survey (AHS) conducted in 2010-11. The indicators of child-care considered in this study are: immunization of children, duration of breastfeeding, health care of sick children, nutritional status, mortality of children in differentages, and their educational attainment. A gender disparity index is prepared for each indicator and states are ranked on the basis of this index. EAG states are also ranked on the basis of other indicators of socio-economic development and relationship between gender disparity and socio-economic indicators is explained.
Results of the study show that gender disparity has declined in only some spheres of child-care. For example, at the national level, difference in the proportion of male and female children who did not receive any vaccination declined. The male-female difference in the median duration of breast-feeding remained at the same level. Differences in neonatal mortality have reduced, whereas differences in infant and under-five mortality are almost at the same level. The gap between proportion of male and female children age 6-17 attending school