Religious Geography and County-Level Sex Ratios in China

The sex ratio at birth in China is highly imbalanced in favor of boys. Past research on sex ratios in China emphasizes economic factors for their weakening effect on the Confucian tradition of son preference. Research in the sociology of religion suggests that religious geography may affect sex rati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the scientific study of religion
Authors: Tong, Yunping ca. 20./21. Jh. (Author) ; Sennott, Christie (Author) ; Yang, Fenggang 1962- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell [2021]
In: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B China / Religious geography / Taoism / Male youth / Female youth / Gender / Ungleichgewicht / Buddhism / Islam
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AF Geography of religion
KBM Asia
ZB Sociology
Further subjects:B China
B Religion
B child sex ratio
B Confucianism
B sex ratio at birth
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:The sex ratio at birth in China is highly imbalanced in favor of boys. Past research on sex ratios in China emphasizes economic factors for their weakening effect on the Confucian tradition of son preference. Research in the sociology of religion suggests that religious geography may affect sex ratios through the spill-over of religious teachings to those living in areas dominated by a religious tradition. To assess this linkage, we investigate the relationship between religious geography and county-level child sex ratios using the 2000 China Population Census and the 2004 China Economic Census, the most complete and recent data available on religious presence in China. Applying spatial analyses of 2,685 counties (over 90% of all counties), we find that counties with a greater presence of Daoist temples have more imbalanced (male-biased) sex ratios, whereas a greater presence of Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques is associated with less imbalanced sex ratios.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12697