PARENTAL INVESTMENT THEORY AND BIRTH SEX-RATIOS IN NEPAL

Parental investment theory postulates that where physical condition va ries significantly then birth sex ratio will be correlated with social status. Application of this theory to man remains contentious. This s tudy examines physique, wealth, and social status in relation to the s ex of live births. It reports a female-biased sex ratio in high social and economic status Nepalese. Close consanguineous marriage, intended to conserve landed wealth within related lineages, and increased fema le work burdens accompanying larger farm size, are proximate factors w hich may underlie this finding. A differential payback hypothesis is o ne way of explaining this pattern.