In Simple Words
Think of a household with a limited food budget that traditionally gives the largest portions of protein to boys because they are seen as future financial supporters. When parents realize that girls will also bring back substantial income as adults, they begin plating equal food portions for their daughters.
Girls aged 5 to 15 in rural India
- No study recruiter visits
- Group used for comparison
- Annual recruiter visits
- BMI for age 0.24 standard deviations higher
Ages measured at three-year follow-up. Boys had no clear BMI change; this alone does not test a gender difference in effects.
See source →Research question
In contexts with strong son preference, households allocate disproportionate food, medical care, and health resources to young boys, leading to chronic malnutrition, lower BMI, and higher early mortality rates for young girls.
Participants
Girls and boys aged 5–15 across 160 rural villages measured for height and weight.
Study Design
Randomized evaluation measuring anthropometric BMI-for-age z-scores normalized against WHO international standards.
Results
The treatment increased girls' BMI-for-age z-score by 0.24 standard deviations (p < 0.01), whereas boys' BMI-for-age z-score showed no significant change (0.08 standard deviations, p > 0.10), significantly narrowing the intrahousehold nutritional gap.
Takeaway
Increase economic returns to adult female labor to combat male-biased resource distribution within households during early childhood.