Estimates of missing women in twentieth-century China Articles uri icon

publication date

  • December 2012

start page

  • 461

end page

  • 479

issue

  • 3

volume

  • 27

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0268-4160

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1469-218X

abstract

  • The phenomenon of 'missing women' has existed throughout the twentieth century in China. Using data from five censuses, with appropriate adjustments, we estimate the numbers and percentage of missing women from the period 1900-2000. The analysis is broken down into historically important periods, and the consequences of missing women, particularly that of China's 'bare branches', are explored. Implications for Chinese society are then discussed.