Selective Abortion and Female Infanticide
The number of girls born and surviving in India is significantly less compared with the number of boys, due to the disproportionate numbers of female fetuses being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die. Compared to the normal ratio of births, 950 girls for every 1000 boys, most states of India, especially Harayana, Mumbai and even overseas Indians, have much lower sex ratios. It can be as low as 830 girls to 1000 boys. With increasing misuse and affordability of fetus sex-determining devices, such as ultrasound scan, the rate of female foeticide is rising sharply in India. Female infanticide (killing of girl infants) is still prevalent in some rural areas. The government and activist groups seek to raise the status of girls and combat female infanticide. According to the United Nations, it is estimated that as many as 2000 girls are illegally aborted every day and approximately as many as an expected 15 million girls were not born over the last decade.
India has a low sex ratio, the chief reason being that many women die before reaching adulthood. Tribal societies in India have a better sex ratio than all other caste groups. This is in spite of the fact that tribal communities have far lower levels of income, literacy and health facilities. Experts suggest that the low sex ratio in India can be attributed to female infanticides and sex-selective abortions among more urban populations.
Gender selection and selective abortion were banned in India under Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostics Technique Act, in 1994, but the use of ultrasound scanning for gender selection continues. Other institutionl efforts, such as advertisements calling female feticides a sin by the Health Ministry of India and annual Girl-child day, can be observed to raise status of girls and to combat female infanticide. But, it did not appear to have much effect in the rate of female foeticide.
Female foeticide will decrease the population of female and further skew the sex ratio of India. This will lead to problems like marriage squeeze and lower replacement rate. In addition, it can also cause greater abuse against women and higher crime rate. It will have negative effects on the economy, such as lower female participation rate and inefficient allocation of labour due to gender discrimination.
Read more about this topic: Sexism In India, Discrimination Against Women
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