Changing Patterns of Sex Ratio at Birth in China: A Comparative Analysis of Data from the Fifth and Sixth Censuses of China

Using date from the 2000 and 2010 censuses,this paper examines changing patterns of sex ratio at birth(SRB)in China.The two censuses documented increasing SRBs at first parity,in urban areas,for minority ethic groups,and at all educational levels;lessening gaps across the provinces,between urban and rural areas,between the Han and ethnic minorities,and between birth orders;and increasing number of provinces subject to highly and extremely abnormal SRB.The observed changing patterns of China’s SRB suggest that in the past 10 years,high SRB has spread from the Han nationality to ethnic minorities,from the countryside to the cities,from the higher birth order to the lower birth order,from lower education to the highly educated women.