Sex Differences in Child Health: Effects of Mexico-US Migration

Abstract

Missing in recent studies on migration and health is an examination of how the gendered process of migration affects the health of children in Mexican households. This omission is surprising given that substantial scholarship has revealed that parents selectively discriminate against girls in households worldwide. Using new binational data on the health of Mexican children, we examine whether and how the gendered process of migration differentially affects the health of girls and boys in Mexican families. Our findings reveal that gender inequality in child health is related to preferences built on the traditional gender _hierarchy. Our findings also reveal that shifts in the power distribution, brought about by women’s employment and the experience of US migration, reduce the gender-health inequality. These results have important implications for understanding gender differences in health.