From Disparity to Parity: Tackling Gender Imbalance in Early Childhood in Tamil Nadu

Child sex ratios in India have fluctuated over time, with northern states exhibiting greater disparities compared to eastern and southern regions. However, despite policy efforts in the past, early childhood gender ratios are slowly declining in Tamil Nadu, one of the states with relatively equalized child sex ratios. It is imperative that the gender disparity in infant demographics increases over the next few decades given that there is betterment in factors like medical infrastructure and availability of tap water in most villages in Tamil Nadu. Procedure: Data was taken from the Development Data Labs’ SHRUG database, and information on various variables, location, spatial stats, and shapefiles were used to assess how trends in child sex ratio across various districts in Tamil Nadu are affected by literacy rates, worker population, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. Results: Although the availability of medical infrastructure and tap water does not necessarily affect trends in child sex ratio on a district level in Tamil Nadu, OLS estimates show that there is a significant relationship between literacy rates and worker population on child sex ratio. Conclusion: Policies need to be shaped around quality education and employment opportunities to ensure child sex ratios in Tamil Nadu are equalized in the coming decades through a multidimensional approach—encompassing economic, educational, and social strategies.