Where were the missing girls: Re-estimating daughters' survival in Chinese clans, 1350-1900
The strong son preference and the high rate of female infanticide in imperial China is not a hidden secret, but quantitative evidence is scant. This paper uses newly digitized genealogical records produced by six Chinese lineages in the Yangzi Delta to reinvestigate daughters’ survival in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This paper discusses the validity of genealogical data for examining excess female mortality from aspects including the purpose of genealogies, the compilation process, and the selection criteria for the inclusion of daughters. After considering the selection biases of genealogical data, we construct two samples of 19,516 fathers and 6,000 daughters, respectively. We find that daughters were more likely to be under-reported than killed – the estimated proportion of daughters dying of infanticide and parental neglect was about 21.4 per cent, and that of un-registration was about 47.5 per cent. The effects of grain price and cultural tradition on excess female mortality also enrich our understanding of the Malthusian regime in late imperial China.
Date: 29 November 2022, 17:00 (Tuesday, 8th week, Michaelmas 2022)
Venue: St Hilda's College, Cowley Place OX4 1DY
Venue Details: Vernon Harcourt Room
Speaker: Sijie Hu (Remin University)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Part of: Economic and Social History Seminar
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editors: Melis Clark, Emma Heritage, Emma Lane