EPICENTRES OF MISSING DAUGHTERS Geo-spatial dimensions of the child sex ratio in India

The spatial spread of the female child deficit in India has been explored in terms of hot spots (with high deficits) and cold spots (with more female-favourable child sex ratios). It has been argued, using the Census of India data from individual censuses, that there is a contagion effect for both hot spots and cold spots. This paper takes this discussion forward by asking whether such an effect can be seen across censuses. To do so, it develops the concept of an epicentre to see whether a hot or cold spot in one census spreads shock waves across a wider region in later censuses. The longitudinal analysis of child sex ratios over three censuses-1991, 2001 and 2011-shows that the hot spots are epicentres for the spread of female child deficits, while the cold spots display a reverse effect.