Overview on biological and behavioural factors of sex differences in child mortality

Michel Garenne, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

Much has been written about sex differences in child mortality, though little has been proven. The paper focuses first on quantitative evidence of lack of discrimination against girls in sub-Saharan Africa, and its consequences for understanding sex differences in mortality and in nutritional status using data for DHS surveys. The analysis goes further to sex differences in mortality by specific causes of deaths, and describes a series of infectious and non-infectious diseases with excess female mortality. References are also made to recent observations of disappearing sex bias in Sri Lanka and in Bangladesh. Conflicting findings are discussed in light of various theories of disease and mortality processes.