Female Foeticide in India (original) (raw)
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Female Foeticide in India: Looking Beyond Son Preference and Dowry
The mankind quarterly
This paper attempts to discuss the basal factors that impel people to choose to practice female foeticide in India. Son preference and the cost of providing dowries are very important in this regard, but not the only reasons. Apart from their economic, social, and religious value to the parents, sons also play a signal role in defending the family against violence. However, the degree of son preference shows strong positive correlation with level of daughter aversion in large parts of the country. Hence, in order to locate the basal reasons of female foeticide, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of both son preference and daughter aversion.
Religion and Fertility in India: The role of son preference and daughter aversion
2004
This paper brings together the notion of 'son preference' and the complementary concept of 'daughter aversion' to provide an explanation for larger Muslim, relative to Hindu, families in India. Just as sons bring 'benefits' to their parents, daughters impose 'costs' and complementing a desire to have sons is a desire not to have daughters. Consequently, the desire for sons increases family size while the fear of daughters limits it. A formal model, in which these two countervailing forces act so as to determine equilibrium family size and composition, is developed. Qualitative evidence about Hindus and Muslims in their attitudes towards sons and daughters is presented; as are quantitative results from a Poisson regression model estimated on data for 10,548 women who had attained their equilibrium family size. The analysis concludes that higher Muslim fertility compared to Hindus may in reality reflect significantly lower levels of daughter aversion among this community.
DISAPPEARING DAUGHTERS AND SON PREFERENCE IN INDIA – ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE PRESENT SCENARIO
Sex selection is a violation of law and unethical. But our patriarchal society continues to turn a blind eye towards it or offers excuses to justify its existence. Speaking at a conference of regional Health Ministers, the then Union Minister for Health, Mr. B. Shankaranand ?expressed deep concern? over the ?highly unethical, unjust and immoral? practice of using amniocentesis for sex determination (Ravindra, 1986). The practice of eliminating female foetuses is believed to be one of the main reasons for the adverse child sex ratio in the country. In this context, the present paper discusses the past and the present, the colonial encounter and efforts to eliminate this age old practice. Despite women?s increased presence in the public domain, better educational and work opportunities and changed mindset, women continue to experience physical and emotional violence both within and outside the household. Historically, the degradation of girls has been expressed in various ways. Violence against girls and women often takes the form of deprivation and neglect. But the dynamics of domestic violence can involve the control of women?s reproductive capacity as well. In abusive situation, a woman may be co-erced to abort the foetus if the foetus is female. In the South Asian context the inability to produce a male heir may result in humiliation, contempt, abuse and abandonment. Modernization and Westernization has not resulted in any change in the situation. The spread of ultrasound as well as ameniocentism for sex determination are playing a vital role in female foetus induced abortions referred to as high-tech-sexism by Amartya Sen (1990).
'Too many girls, too much dowry': son preference and daughter aversion in rural Tamil Nadu, India
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has experienced a dramatic decline in fertility, accompanied by a trend of increased son preference. This paper reports on findings from qualitative interviews with women in rural villages about their fertility decision-making. Specifically addressed are the reasons behind increasing son preference and the consequences of this change. Findings suggest that daughter aversion, fuelled primarily by the perceived economic burden of daughters due to the proliferation of dowry, is playing a larger role in fertility decision-making than son preference. The desire for a son is often trumped by the worry over having many daughters. Women use various means of controlling the sex of their children, which in this study appear to be primarily female infanticide. It is important to distinguish between son preference and daughter aversion and to examine repercussions of low fertility within this setting. Résumé L'e ´tat indien du Tamil Nadu connaıˆt un déclin dramatique de la fertilité, accompagné d'un renforcement de la tendance des parents a ` préférer des fils a ` des filles. Cet article rend compte des résultats d'entretiens qualitatifs centrés sur la prise de décision en matière de fertilité menés avec des femmes dans des villages ruraux. Les raisons pour lesquelles la préférence des femmes pour des fils est de plus en plus marquée et les conséquences de cette tendance sont abordées. Les résultats suggèrent que l'aversion pour les filles, principalement entretenue par la charge financière qu'elles représentent pour les femmes, perçue comme importante en raison de la prolifération des dots, pèse plus dans la prise de décision en matière de fertilité que la préférence pour les fils. Le désir pour un garçon est souvent contrebalancé par la peur d'avoir une fille. Les femmes sont obligées d'employer d'autres moyens de contrô le du sexe de leurs enfants, principalement l'infanticide a ` l'endroit des filles. Il est important de faire la distinction entre la préférence pour les garçons et l'aversion pour les filles, et d'examiner les répercussions des faibles taux de fertilité dans cet environnement. Resumen En el estado Tamil Nadu al sur de la India se ha observado una drástica reducció n de la fertilidad, acompañ ada de una mayor tendencia a preferir hijos varones. En este artículo informamos sobres los resultados de entrevistas cualitativas realizadas a mujeres de pueblos rurales en la que se les preguntó sobre sus decisiones con respecto a su fertilidad. Se tuvieron en cuenta específicamente los motivos de preferir hijos varones y las consecuencias de este cambio. Los resultados indican que la aversió n a las hijas, exacerbada en primer lugar por el peso econó mico que supuestamente implica tener hijas debido a la proliferació n de las dotes, desempeñ a un papel más importante a la hora de hacer
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2017
Introduction: Though the overall sex ratio in India has increased by 0.75% in the last decade, the child sex ratio between 0-6 years age group has dropped to all time low since independence to 914 females against 1000 males. Decreased child sex ratio has been observed in Karnataka including Mysore district in the last decade. Hence a study was considered for the gender preferences for the desired fertility. Objectives: The study conducted to determine the sex preference for desired fertility among eligible couples and also to assess factors influencing child sex ratio. Methodology: Cross sectional study among rural population of Mysore district consisted a total of 402 eligible couples. Data regarding various basic socio‑demographic characteristics & village-level economic development were collected. Results: The study showed that 97.51 % of women want at least one girl child in the family. Majority of women 50.99% had equal preference for of boys and girls. Conclusion: It would be to better understand & work towards finding the motivations and social norms of the women and communities who do not express a son preference.
Economics and Sociology of Son Preference in India
2013
Son preference over daughters is very common in India, China, South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Middle East. Paper discusses in details about the forcing factors for son preference in India. The major objective of the paper is to discuss how social norms, cultural values, perceived economic utility of sons over daughters, religious rituals, dowry, kinship system, gender discriminated labour market and less employment opportunities for women force parents to prefer sons over daughters. Sons are considered as life-long economic assets to the family while daughters are supposed as life-long economic liabilities. Paper concludes that as long as parents follow their deep rooted socio-cultural and religious customs, there will be a strong preference for sons and neglect of daughters.
Repeated Induced Abortion and Son Preference in India
India recorded the highest of repeated induced abortion in the world. Literature on it is scanty and the role of son preference is often ignored. We have attempted to answer the question: Does son preference associate with repeated induced abortion? We have used the third round of District Level Household Survey (DLHS-3). Bivariate analyses, Scatter Matrix Plot and Cox proportional hazard regression model were used. The results reveal that repeated induced abortions were more among the women with son preference. For the first time this study estimates repeated induced abortions by major states and socio-economic groups in India. Also, for the first time, the study gives a comprehensive sociological perspective to repeated induced abortions. In the absence of reliable information on sex-selective abortions, repeated induced abortions can be used as an important proxy indicator. The reduction of repeated abortions will reduce unsafe abortions and maternal deaths, as well as contribute to balanced sex ratio.
Son Preference and Its Effect on Fertility in India
2000
Numerous studies have found that most Indian couples have a strong preference for sons over daughters. In an effort to have sons, many couples continue to have children after achieving their desired family size. This practice may have retarded India's fertility decline.
SON PREFERENCE IN INDIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR GENDER DEVELOPMENT
Using data from the Census of India and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), this paper analyzes trends in child sex ratios (0-6 years of age) and the increase in son preference in India. Latest census data (2011) shows that the child sex ratios (females per 1,000 males) have decreased compared to data from the last five decades. Increasing son preference and neglect of daughters is occurring in many states in India despite the advances made in education, literacy, health care, and income attainment. A skewed sex ratio and shortage of girls is detrimental to the health and welfare of women as well as the human development of India. Policymakers need to formulate appropriate policies coupled with strict enforcement laws in order to contain this grave trend in son preference, infanticide, neglect, and devaluation of women in India.