Mukhopadhyay Simantini
Institute of Development Studies,Kolkata,India.
J Biosoc Sci. 2016 Mar;48(2):267-82. doi: 10.1017/S0021932015000085. Epub 2015 Apr 30.
The lack of significance of sex in the determination of child nutrition in India, as revealed from the analysis of data from the entire population, is misleading and perplexing. Given that child nutrition is affected by all channels through which sex bias operates, scholars have sought to explain its inconclusive evidence, looking at child-specific household-level factors such as birth order and sex composition of surviving older siblings. The paper points out that sex inequality needs to be examined in the context of its intersection with other consequential social identities such as religious membership, economic status and caste group affiliation. Sex disparity in child stunting is found to be prevalent particularly among upper caste Hindus. However, the relative advantage that poor tribal girls enjoy is reversed with improvement in wealth status. Thus, children in different social settings need customized policy focus.
从对全体人口数据的分析来看，性别在印度儿童营养状况判定中缺乏显著性，这一结论具有误导性且令人困惑。鉴于儿童营养受到性别偏见发挥作用的所有渠道的影响，学者们试图通过研究诸如出生顺序和存活的哥哥姐姐的性别构成等特定于儿童的家庭层面因素，来解释相关证据的不确定性。该论文指出，性别不平等需要在其与其他重要社会身份（如宗教信仰、经济地位和种姓群体归属）相互交织的背景下进行审视。研究发现，儿童发育迟缓方面的性别差异尤其在印度教高种姓群体中普遍存在。然而，贫困部落女孩所享有的相对优势会随着财富状况的改善而逆转。因此，不同社会环境中的儿童需要有针对性的政策关注。
