DECLINING CHILD SEX RATIO: Development or Disempowerment

1. What is the present sex ratio in India?
   

YEAR	TOTAL SEX RATIO	CHILD SEX RATIO (0-6YEARS)
1991	927	945
2001	933	927
2011	940	919

• The observations are very strange. Overall sex ratio is increasing but the Child sex ratio is continously decreasing.
• It shows that younger generation is more active in sex-selective abortions than their parents. It is very sad that educated young people are doing so. SHAME ON US!!!!

2. Why younger generation is resorting more to sex selective abortions?

• The reasons are more economic than social and religious.
• Younger generation is going for a small family. As they plant to have 1-2 children their obvious choice is a boy because boy will be of great help in old age. Also, mother earns respect if a male child is born. Some stupid function is also organized if a male child is born but not when females are born.
• Internalized patriarchy is also a reason for this. Even educated people are victim of this internalized patriarchy. What kind of education are we giving to the younger generation. Rather than critically looking at the traditions, education is perpetuating those traditions.
• High economic development is facilitating this as the technology for sex selective abortion is accesible and affordable. Therefore, sex ratio is worst in developed states of north India.

3. What does the low sex ratio conveys about the development of the society?

• Sex ratio is the index of the status of women in the society and in my view the position of women determines the real development of society rather than GDP.
• Low sex ratio also shows the dependence of woman and her inability to take independent decisions. It is the male member which does the family planning and women just follow him.

4. Why the status of women is low in Indian society?

•  In our society woman represents the honor of family. Therefore, in upper castes and classes they face restrictions in their interactions with outside world. They don't earn and are a burden on the family. As they are a burden they are given less importance and hence their status is low.
• Situation is better in low castes and classes as women go outside the home and earns money to support the family. Thus, her earning capacity leads to higher status in the family.
• Because of this low status she has to compromise more than their male counterparts leading to frustration and fatalistic attitude which led to internalization of patriarchy in them. Then they perpetuate the patriarchy to the next generation.
• This economic dependence on men is also the reason for exorbitant dowry demands and atrocities on women. Stupid people don't attach any monetary value to the household work the woman is doing. 
• Lat but not the least they are more involved in child rearing and bearing which makes them dependent on men.

 5. In which areas the sex ratio is adverse?

• In the northern and western part of India it is bad than the eastern and southern parts of the region.
• It is more in villages than in cities.
• It is more among lower castes and poor than upper castes and rich.

6. How to tackle the issue of low sex ratio?

• Make the women independent. Provide them more employment and utilitarian education. 
• Minimize the violence against women. Please don't commit rapes. Don't harass them on workplace. Let them work and enjoy the life peacefully. If you find the girls attractive just look at her and appreciate her beauty. Don't try to acquire her forcefully. She is not an object but a human being with feelings.
• Punish the doctors who do sex selective abortions. Use technology to detect the culprits such as fix a detector in sonography machines and account for each diagnosis.