Too few women to hold up half the sky? Imbalanced sex ratio and economic development in China — A feminist economics perspective

This research paper focuses on the relationship between population sex ratios and regional economic development in China from a feminist economics perspective. The One-Child Policy and the economic upsurge after the 1980s have combined to influence the process of development and gender equality in China. While previous studies have predominantly focused on sex ratios at birth, this research shifts the focus to the overall population sex ratio and its broader economic consequences. Using the Capability Approach and feminist economics as the framework, the research explores the impact of China's Policies and Son Preference, highlighting the causes of the imbalanced sex ratio and its detrimental effects. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research combines interviews with five Chinese women from diverse backgrounds and a fixed-effects regression analysis of panel data (2013–2022) from China's National Bureau of Statistics. The results show that imbalanced sex ratios significantly negatively impact per-person disposable income, considering the time lag. Tack-ling this issue and its consequences requires confronting institutional inequalities related to gender and the economy, rather than simply improving certain indicators. It necessitates changing gender norms in policies and promoting Comprehensive Sexuality Education.