Economist Scraps Hepatitis Theory on China's 'Missing Women.'.

The article features economist Emily Oster and her explanation for the missing women problem in China. Oster proposed that the high ratio of men to women in China was due not only to a pronounced parental preference for sons but also because of the effects of the hepatitis B virus. According to the article, Oster's explanation strengthened her reputation as a rising star. Oster says that newly available data prove that the hepatitis B virus does not explain China's distorted sex ratios.