Patterns of sex differentials in child mortality in Brazil (2000-2010)

We evaluate the mortality gap between sexes that favors females well before birth. Censuses and vital statistics are used. Estimates refer to most recent data up to 2011. Analyses refer to Brazil, a country where infant/child mortality (ICM) have sharply decreased. It is a developing setting without evidence of gender preference at early ages.
Besides the ICM according to sex, indicators used are the male to female mortality ratio (MFMR) and sex ratio of the population under age 10. ICM is evaluated using the Brass method on children survivorship. Values indicate that MFMR tends to decline over time thus improvements in child survivorship favor relatively more baby boys. Similar evidence is found using vital statistics with different degree of reliability. MFMR below 100, indicating that infant male mortality is lower than among girls are frequent. The pattern delineated by the data describes small ICM differences by sex when ICM decreases. Differences are, apparently, smaller than those found in developed setting or model life tables.
This trend could be associated to the fast decline in ICM stimulated by huge social investments originated by the MDG; more research is needed to evaluate whether implementation and monitoring of social policies, particularly those related to maternal and child programs