This paper reviews studies on girl-child survival in China and corresponding intervention activities of the Chinese government. Discrimination against girls in China was long in existence, and the abnormally high sex ratio at birth (SRB) and excess female child mortality (EFCM) in recent years reflect women's low social status, as well as a deteriorating survival environment for girls. This paper analyzes the current situation, trends and regional variations in SRB and EFCM, and discusses proximal, conditional and fundamental causes of deteriorating environment for the survival of girls, as well as the subsequent demographic and social implications.
To protect women's rights and promote gender equality, the Chinese government has introduced a series of laws and regulations on equal rights regarding economic and political participation, education, property inheritance, marriage and old-age support. To lower the abnormally high SRB and EFCM at a fertility rate of 1.8, and to improve the social and cultural environment so as to favour girl-child survival, the Chinese government also implemented certain countrywide measures, the most influential of which has been the "Care for Girls" campaign. These policies and interventions have substantially enhanced women's social status in China.
This paper also points out potential future research areas, while discussing prospects for the future improvement in girl-child survival. This paper is part of a series of studies that were undertaken at the request of UNFPA for presentation at the 4th Asia Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Hyderabad, India, 29-31 October 2007.

By: Shuzhuo Li, Institute for Population and Development Studies, China, 2007 [24 Pages, PDF]