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FEMALE SEX -RATIO IN INDIA – A REVIEW

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IJDRSA 2012; 8 (1): 29-44

FEMALE SEX - RATIO IN INDIA – A REVIEW

S .Vijay Kumar*

ABSTRACT
Development of Children especially the girl child is the first priority on the
country’s development agenda, not because they are our supreme assets and
also future human resources of the country. In view of the special needs and
requirements of girl children, multi-pronged strategies, approaches and socio-
cultural environment is imperative. The girls need to be provided proper care,
protection, education, life skill education, health and nutrition, counseling, etc.
besides creating opportunities for participation in development process. The
declining gender ratio in India is cause of concern. The child sex ratio in the
recent decades has declined due to increasing female infanticides and giving
lower priority to girl children. The present paper highlights the emerging
trends in female sex ration in India.
“Yathra nariyasthu pujyathe ramanthe ththra devethha”, the meaning of this
Sanskrit sloka is, where women are respected, there angels will reside. This
shows that in the Vedic Age (1500-1000 BC), women enjoyed great respect
and freedom in the society. In fact far superior position to the men of that
time, “Sakthi” a feminine term means “power” and “strength”. It is evident
from the ancient scripts that the women like Vishwavara, Gosa, Gaargi and
Mythreya learnt and chanted Vedaas. They participated in Vedhantha
discussions. But, due to repeated attacks on India by Muslims and the
British through centuries, it changed the situation, gradually male
domination increased in the society.
Girl child is the future of every nation and India is no exception. A little
amount of care, a handful of warmth and a heart full of love for a girl child
can make a big difference. Close your eyes, free your thoughts and hear the
voice of God, He is saying something to all of us, “Save Me”. India is a
country where social disadvantage outweighs natural biological advantage
of being a girl. A whole range of discriminatory practices including female
feticide, female infanticide, female genital mutilation, son idolization, early
marriage and dowry have buried the future of the nation. In India,
discriminatory practices have greatly influenced the health and well-being
of a girl child, resulting in a higher mortality rate. It is said that God created

*
Associate Professor & Head, Department of Economics, Kakatiya (UG&PG) Government College,
Hanamkonda, Warangal District- (AP).
30 • S. Vijay Kumar

mothers because He could not be present everywhere. It is unbelievable to realize

that a God’s representative is continuously killing someone beautiful even
before she can come out and see the beauty of nature.
Given the traditional preference for a male child, it is not surprising
that right from the first census of 1871, India has consistently shown an
abnormal sex ratio (940 women for every 1000 men). Even in the 2011
census, the situation is not changed; the sex ratio is same as that of 1871,
that is, 940 women for every 1000 men. Thus, the position remains
unchanged even after 64 years of independence.

Sex – Ratio in India from 1901 - 2011

Sex Ratio
Census Year (Females Per 1000 Male)
1901 972
1911 964
1921 955
1931 950
1941 945
1951 946
1961 941
1971 930
1981 934
1991 927
2001 933
2011 940

It is evident from the above table that in 1901 the sex ratio is 972 and it
is continuously declined up to 1941. Again, though there are ups downs
from 1951, the overall sex ratio in the country improved from 933 in 2001 to
940 in 2011, the highest recorded sex ratio since the 1971 census.

Sex- Ratio of India is Compared with Its Neighbors & Others

Country 2001 2011
World 986 984
China 944 926
India 933 940
Pakistan 938 943
Bangladesh 958 978
Sri Lanka 1010 1034
Nepal 1005 1014
Afghanistan 930 931
Bhutan 919 897
Contd.
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 31

Country 2001 2011

Myanmar 1011 1048
USA 1029 1025
Indonesia 1004 988
Brazil 1025 1042
Russia Fed. 1140 1167
Japan 1041 1055
Nigeria 1016 987
Source: 2001-World Population Prospects (mid year estimates) 1998 2. 2011-World
Population Prospects 2008 revision UN.

It is evident from the above table that India’s sex ratio is less when
compared with our neighbors – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Myanmar and with other countries like USA, Russia Fed., Japan, Indonesia,
Brazil, Nigeria and better than China, Afghanistan and Bhutan in 2011.

State - wise Sex Ratio in India in 2011 Compared with 2001 Census
States/Union Territory # Total 2001 Total 2011 Change
Jammu & Kashmir 892 883 -1.01%
Himachal Pradesh 968 974 0.62%
Punjab 876 893 1.94%
Chandigarh # 777 818 5.28%
Uttarakhand 962 963 0.10%
Haryana 861 877 1.86%
NCT of Delhi # 821 866 5.48%
Rajasthan 921 926 0.54%
Uttar Pradesh 898 908 1.11%
Bihar 919 916 -0.33%
Sikkim 875 889 1.60%
Arunachal Pradesh 893 920 3.02%
Nagaland 900 931 3.44%
Manipur 974 987 1.33%
Mizoram 935 975 4.28%
Tripura 948 961 1.37%
Meghalaya 972 986 1.44%
Assam 935 954 2.03%
West Bengal 934 947 1.39%
Jharkhand 941 947 0.64%
Orissa 972 978 0.62%
Chhattisgarh 989 991 0.20%
Madhya Pradesh 919 930 1.20%
Gujarat 920 918 -0.22%
Daman & Diu # 710 618 -12.96%
Dadra & Nagar Haveli # 812 775 -4.56%
Contd.
32 • S. Vijay Kumar

States/Union Territory # Total 2001 Total 2011 Change

Maharashtra 922 925 0.33%
Andhra Pradesh 978 992 1.43%
Karnataka 965 968 0.31%
Goa 961 968 0.73%
Lakshadweep # 948 946 -0.21%
Kerala 1058 1084 2.46%
Tamil Nadu 987 995 0.81%
Puducherry # 1001 1038 3.70%
Andaman & Nicobar Islands # 846 878 3.78%
INDIA 933 940 0.75%
Source: 2001 and 2011 Census

The overall sex ratio in the country improved from 933 to 940, the
highest recorded sex ratio since the 1971 census. Even though the sex ratio
has improved experts say, millions of women are still missing. For the first
time in the last decade, females have outnumbered males in Goa which has
recorded an 8.17 percent growth in overall population. Three states-J&K,
Gujarat and Bihar have showed a decline in the sex ratio. During the last
decade sex ratio in India has increased 0.75%, but it is still not satisfactory.
In 2011 Census Top five states with highest female sex ratio in India are–
1. Kerala has the highest sex ratio of 1084 female per 1000 male.
2. Pondicherry (U/T) has a sex ratio of 1038 female per 1000 male.
3. Tamil Nadu has a sex ratio of 995 female per 1000 male.
4. Andhra Pradesh has a sex ratio of 992 female per 1000 male.
5. Chhattisgarh has a sex ratio of 991 female per 1000 male
In 2011 Census Bottom five states with lowest female sex ratio in India are -
4 of bottom five are 4 union territories and that includes Delhi at
number four.
1. Daman in Daman & Diu(U/T) has the lowest sex ratio of only 618
females per 1000 male.
2. Dadra & Nagar Haveli another union territory also has a very low
sex ratio of 775 female per 1000 male.
3. Chandigarh has a sex ratio of 818 female per 100 male.
4. NCT of Delhi has a sex ratio of 866 female per 100 male.
5. Haryana has a sex ratio of 877 female per 100 male.
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 33

There have been some huge negative changes of female sex ratio in
states like Daman Diu and Dara & Nagar Haveli. Sex ratio dropped 12.96%
during last decade in Daman Diu and 4.56% in Dadra Nagar Haveli. Jammu
& Kashmir also has a negative change of 1.01%.
Though Delhi has a positive change of 5.48% in female sex ratio but it is
still in the bottom five lists. Chandigarh also shows some improvement of
5.28% from last census. Female sex ratio increased about 4% in states like
Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and some other.

State wise Change in Child Sex Ratio during the Decade in India
INDIA 927 914 -1.40% 933 940 0.75%
Jammu & Kashmir 941 859 -8.71% 892 883 -1.01%
Himachal Pradesh 896 906 1.12% 968 974 0.62%
Punjab 798 846 6.02% 876 893 1.94%
Chandigarh # 845 867 2.60% 777 818 5.28%
Uttarakhand 908 886 -2.42% 962 963 0.10%
Haryana 819 830 1.34% 861 877 1.86%
NCT of Delhi # 868 866 -0.23% 821 866 5.48%
Rajasthan 909 883 -2.86% 921 926 0.54%
Uttar Pradesh 916 899 -1.86% 898 908 1.11%
Bihar 942 933 -0.96% 919 916 -0.33%
Sikkim 963 944 -1.97% 875 889 1.60%
Arunachal Pradesh 964 960 -0.41% 893 920 3.02%
Nagaland 964 944 -2.07% 900 931 3.44%
Manipur 957 934 -2.40% 974 987 1.33%
Mizoram 964 971 0.73% 935 975 4.28%
Tripura 966 953 -1.35% 948 961 1.37%
Meghalaya 973 970 -0.31% 972 986 1.44%
Assam 965 957 -0.83% 935 954 2.03%
West Bengal 960 950 -1.04% 934 947 1.39%
Jharkhand 965 943 -2.28% 941 947 0.64%
Orissa 953 934 -1.99% 972 978 0.62%
Chhattisgarh 975 964 -1.13% 989 991 0.20%
Madhya Pradesh 932 912 -2.15% 919 930 1.20%
Gujarat 883 886 0.34% 920 918 -0.22%
Daman & Diu # 926 909 -1.84% 710 618 -12.96%
Dadra & Nagar Haveli # 979 924 -5.62% 812 775 -4.56%
Maharashtra 913 883 -3.29% 922 925 0.33%
Andhra Pradesh 961 943 -1.87% 978 992 1.43%
Karnataka 946 943 -0.32% 965 968 0.31%
Goa 938 920 -1.92% 961 968 0.73%
Lakshadweep # 959 908 -5.32% 948 946 -0.21%
Kerala 960 959 -0.10% 1058 1084 2.46%
Tamil Nadu 942 946 0.42% 987 995 0.81%
Puducherry # 967 965 -0.21% 1001 1038 3.70%
Andaman & Nicobar Islands # 957 966 0.94% 846 878 3.78%
Source: 2001 and 2011 Census
34 • S. Vijay Kumar

The Census indicated a continuing preference for male children over

female children. A matter of overwhelming concern lies in the fact that the
child sex ratio has slipped to its lowest since India’s independence. The sex
ratio (the number of females per 1,000 males) for the 0-6 age group has
dramatically dropped to 914 in 2011, from 927 in 2001. Child sex – ratio
dropped by 1.40% during the last decade, while over all sex ratio raised to
0.75% in India.
This means in a decade when the country enjoyed unprecedented
economic growth, it also became a terrifyingly hostile place to be conceived
or born as a girl. “It’s extremely alarming and everybody should be
worried and careful against this malaise,” said Girija Vyas, chairperson of
the National Commission for Women. She said “Convictions under the Act
are very low. Female feticide is high even in states that have high education
and are affluent. The government needs to step in and act urgently.”
Mizoram has the highest child sex ratio of 971 girls per 1000 boys
followed by Meghalaya with 970 girls per 1000 boys and Andaman &
Nicobar Islands with 966 girls per 1000 boys. Though Meghalaya has a
negative growth of 0.31% for child sex ratio, the state still sands on the
second position.
Haryana has only 830 girls per 1000 boys. Next is Punjab with 846 girls
per 1000 boys and Jammu & Kashmir with 859 girls per 1000 boys. Punjab
registered the highest growth of 6.02% in child sex ratio during the decade.
Unfortunately Jammu & Kashmir has a whopping -8.71% negative growth
and that bring the sex ratio from 941 to just 859.
In last 10 years only 6 states and 2 union territories out of 35 states/
union territories in India have a positive growth in child sex ratio. Only 4
out of these 8 states/UTs have a change of above 1%. Those are Punjab with
6.02%, Chandigarh(UT) with 2.60%, Haryana with 1.34% and Himachal
Pradesh with 1.12%.

Current Status of the Girl Child (11th FYP)

A perusal of the various indicators reflects the dismal situation of the girl
child. The sharp decline in female sex ratios over the years suggests that
female feticide and infanticide might be primarily responsible for this
phenomenon followed by general neglect of the girl child. The sex ratio has
been dwindling even in States like Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and
Gujarat which are supposed to be economically prosperous. Female
infanticide has been reported from parts of Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The magnitude of girl child
mortality is reflected from the fact that every year, about 12 million girls
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 35

are born in India; a third of these girls die in the first year of their life; three
million, or 25 per cent, do not survive to see their fifteenth birthday. The
child mortality rate between 0- 4 years for girl child is 20.6%, two percent
more than that of boys (18.6%). The root cause of malnutrition amongst
girls is not just poverty and lack of nutritious food, but also like lack of
value attached to girls.
International agreements: Key international agreements that provide
added standards for governments in realizing reproductive health and
rights are the 1994 International Conference on Population and
Development; the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women; and the 2001
and 2006 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on
HIV/AIDS. These landmark agreements promote human rights, gender equality
and empowerment as critical to the overall development and well-being of women,
girls and young women. In the context of the HIV epidemic, governments
pledged at their meeting in 2001 to progress by 2005 on a number of
actions. “They pledged to “ensure development and accelerated implementation of
national strategies for women’s empowerment, the promotion and protection of
women’s full enjoyment of all human rights and reduction of their vulnerability to
HIV/AIDS through the elimination of all forms of discrimination, as well as forms of
violence against women and girls, including harmful traditional and customary
practices ...”The failure of many HIV programmes to integrate reproductive
health concerns in areas of high prevalence amounts to discrimination
against child brides, who are more likely to require frequent use of
reproductive health services. In spite of different nations pledge on the
various platforms of International Forums, there is no much progress with
regard to women and children.

Rural and Urban Sex Ratio in India

As of 2011 India census – 83, 30, 87,662 people live in rural India. 42, 79,
17,052 of them are males & 40, 51, 70,610 of are females. Female sex ratio in
rural India is 947 women in every 1000 men. In urban India the ratio drops
to 926 women in every 1000 men. Only 3 states and 1 Union Territory out of
27 states and 7 UTs in India has higher Rural and Urban female sex ratio than
male.

States where rural female sex ratio is higher than or equal to male are:

Kerala 1,077
Puduchhery U 1,029
Chhatishgarh 1,002
Uttarakhand 1,000
 State wise Rural and Urban Sex Ratio in India As Per 2011 Census
R- R- R- R- U- U- U- U-
State/UT# Total Male Female Sex Ratio Total Male Female Sex Ratio
Jammu & Kashmir 9134820 4809619 4325201 899 3414106 1855942 1558164 840
Himachal Pradesh 6167805 3102262 3065543 988 688704 371630 317074 853
Punjab 17316800 9086466 8230334 906 10387436 5548353 4839083 872
36 • S. Vijay Kumar

Chandigarh # 29004 17155 11849 691 1025682 563127 462555 821

Uttarakhand 7025583 3512456 3513127 1000 3091169 1641722 1449447 883
Haryana 16531493 8791036 7740457 880 8821588 4714094 4107494 871
NCT of Delhi # 419319 227000 192319 847 16333916 8749410 7584506 867
Rajasthan 51540236 26680882 24859354 932 17080776 8939204 8141572 911
Uttar Pradesh 155111022 81044655 74066367 914 44470455 23551760 20918695 888
Bihar 92075028 47983851 44091177 919 11729609 6201496 5528113 891
Sikkim 455962 242122 213840 883 151726 79539 72187 908
Arunachal Pradesh 1069165 554304 514861 929 313446 165928 147518 889
Nagaland 1406861 724595 682266 942 573741 301112 272629 905
Manipur 1899624 966264 933360 966 822132 403500 418632 1038
Mizoram 529037 271319 257718 950 561977 281020 280957 1000
Tripura 2710051 1385505 1324546 956 960981 486362 474619 976
Meghalaya 2368971 1194757 1174214 983 595036 297911 297125 997
Assam 26780516 13689739 13090777 956 4388756 2265188 2123568 937
West Bengal 62213676 31904144 30309532 950 29134060 15023245 14110815 939
Jharkhand 25036946 12775468 12261478 960 7929292 4156220 3773072 908
Orissa 34951234 17584859 17366375 988 6996124 3616819 3379305 934
Chhattisgarh 19603658 9792514 9811144 1002 5936538 3035401 2901137 956
Madhya Pradesh 52537899 27142409 25395490 936 20059666 10470511 9589155 916
Gujarat 34670817 17802975 16867842 947 25712811 13679307 12033504 880
Daman & Diu # 60331 32317 28014 867 182580 117783 64797 550
Dadra & Nagar Haveli # 183024 98250 84774 863 159829 94928 64901 684
Maharashtra 61545441 31593580 29951861 948 50827531 26767817 24059714 899
Andhra Pradesh 56311788 28219760 28092028 995 28353745 14290121 14063624 984
Contd.
 R- R- R- R- U- U- U- U-
State/UT# Total Male Female Sex Ratio Total Male Female Sex Ratio
Karnataka 37552529 19010998 18541531 975 23578175 12046744 11531431 957
Goa 551414 276121 275293 997 906309 464590 441719 951
Lakshadweep # 14121 7228 6893 954 50308 25878 24430 944
Kerala 17455506 8403706 9051800 1077 15932171 7617584 8314587 1091
Tamil Nadu 37189229 18663701 18525528 993 34949729 17495170 17454559 998
Puducherry # 394341 194388 199953 1029 850123 416097 434026 1043
A & N Islands # 244411 130647 113764 871 135533 71683 63850 891
India 833087662 427917052 405170610 947 377105760 195807196 181298564 926
Source: 2011 Census
Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 37
38 • S. Vijay Kumar

States where Urban female sex ratio is higher than or equal to male are:

Kerala 1,091
Puduchhery UT 1,043
Manipur 1038
Mizoram 1000

Chandigarh has the lowest rural sex ratio in India. Female sex ratio in
rural Chandigarh is only 691. NCT of Delhi also has very low both rural
and urban female sex ratio. It is 847 in rural and 867 in urban NCT of Delhi.
Daman & Diu(UT) has the lowest urban female sex ratio of only 550 women in
every 1000 men.

Growth of Rural and Urban Sex Ratio in India

After last census in 2001 sex ratio in urban India has grown quite
impressively but it has almost no change in rural India. In 2001 census rural
India had a female sex ratio of 946 which increased by 1 and it is now 947
females per 1000 males. Urban India had a sex ratio of 900 at 2001 and it
increased by 26 and reached 926 females per 1000 males in 2011.

Factors Responsible for Low Female Sex - Ratio in India

Gender discrimination (Preference for son): The bias against females in India is
grounded in cultural, economic and religious roots. Sons are expected to
work in the fields, provide greater income and look after parents in old
age. In this way, sons are looked upon as a type of insurance. In addition, in
a patriarchal society, sons are responsible for “preservation” of the family
name. Also, as per Hindu belief, lighting the funeral pyre by a son is
considered necessary for salvation of the spirit. “There is a bias against the
girl child”, says Poonam Mutreja, Executive Director, Population
Foundation of India.The worst-affected areas in terms of sex ratio,
according to the 2011 census, are western Maharashtra, western Uttar
Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Discrimination against girl child: The girl child is subjected to
discrimination with all respects – Education, marriage, employment etc.
Sex determination continues to be practiced robustly and rampantly. As is
sex discrimination — girls are given less food, less health care, less
education and even less affection. Also, it seems policies for the girl child
haven’t done much to improve the situation. Girls also have higher levels of
malnutrition that place them at higher risk of both illness and death. In a
survey in 2002 carried out by Vacha, a Mumbai-based women’s resource
centre, it was seen that 69% of girls between 9-13 in municipal schools in
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 39

Mumbai were suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. According

to UNDP report, in Punjab, the male child is given preference when
compared to female child. The people of the state are spending nearly
double amount on male child when compared to female child for their
brought up.
Failure of stringent laws: The consistently declining child sex ratio - i.e.
the number of female children per 1000 male children in the 0 to 6 age
group, is a testimony to the failure of the fairly stringent laws against sex
determination tests (SDTs) in India.

MTP (Abortion), Female Feticide and Infanticide

In India, female infanticide has been practiced for centuries with the
earliest evidence being provided by Sir Jonathan Duncan in 1789. [With the
availability of new technology, the bias suffered by females from birth to
the grave is being extended to womb to tomb. According to the provisional
data of the 2011 census of India, child sex ratio continues to plummet,
indicating that female feticide and infanticide remain rampant. States like
Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Punjab are most
popular for practicing female foeticide and infanticide. About 70% of all
abortions performed in Delhi are terminations due to the fetus being
female.
Amartya Sen refers to the abortions of the female fetus after
determination of the sex of the fetus as “natality inequality.” He designates
the use of ultrasound as “high-tech sexism.”The Research done by Prabhat
Jha and his colleagues at St. Micheals Hospitals at University of Toronto
and Rajesh Kumar of post graduate institute of medical education and
research, Chandigarh discovered that the, “girl deficit” was more common
among educated families, especially in homes where the first born was a
girl. The desire to have a male heir was found to drive families to sex
determination test and termination of pregnancy if the fetus was female.
The Study is based on a national survey of 1.1 million Indian households’ further
claims that five lakh female babies are lost in India every year because of selective
abortion.
Dowry: The evil practice of dowry is widely prevalent in India. As a
result, daughters are considered to be an economic liability. The dowry
system in India is likely to contribute to the lesser child sex ratio. Women
have little control over economic resources and the best way for an Indian
bride to gain domestic power mainly comes from her ability to produce
children, in particular, sons.
Higher mortality of females (young girls, maternal mortality, and female
infanticide): Throughout the census history of India till 1991, the main factor
40 • S. Vijay Kumar

responsible for the numerical deficit of females was excess female

mortality. The numerical impact of the higher female mortality was expressed in
terms of “missing women” was devised by Amartya Sen to give some rough idea of
the enormity of the problem. According to more recent estimates 50 million women
are missing in India alone. Due to Delivery deaths (maternal deaths) also the number
of females is decreasing. It came to know that in India for every 14 minutes a woman
dies from pregnancy and complications of child birth.

Implications of Declining Female Sex Ratio

Marriage squeeze: ‘Marriage squeeze’ characterized by inability of men in
marriageable age to find suitable partners. Marriage is universal in India
and men typically marry younger women with age gap of normally not
exceeding five years. Already declining child sex ratio plummets further;
there is a probability that each successive cohort will contain lesser and
lesser women relative to men. As (in and out) migration do not
substantially alter the cohort sex composition, it is likely that more men
compete for comparatively lesser number of women in the marriage market.
Postponing the Marriages: Postponing the marriage longer by marrying
late, looking for brides who may be younger than usual or even older, etc.
In any case these options are not desirable. The age at marriage, when
involuntarily pushed upward as a result of inability in finding a match will
result in longer spousal gaps.
Re-emergence of “bride price”: There are reports that scarcity of women in
an environment of poverty and lack of development has led to re-
emergence of “bride price”, the system of paying money to obtain a wife, and
sharing of wives in some communities in Rajasthan, who are in the lower
echelons of the society in terms of caste hierarchies and economic position
(India Today, September 1, 2001). If this continues in a wider scale, it is the
rich and powerful who are better poised for matrimony than others.
Crime against women: Difficulties and inability in finding a female
partner would lead to social tensions, particularly manifested in crime
against women.
Boy-Girl Tests: The increasing and widespread incidence of “Boy-Girl
tests” in urban centers will have serious consequences. In Mumbai and
Delhi, the child sex ratio is far below the national average and the girl
population has dropped in 23 cities.
Deterioration of ethics: If the situation of decline in sex ratio becomes
serious, ethics will deteriorate in the society, as a consequence, for
biological need prostitution will increase, and family taboos will also
deteriorate.
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 41

Suggestions
• Change in attitude of men: Men should change their attitude towards
women. Unless men start regarding women as their equal partners, in
the growth of humanity this differentiation between men and women
shall continue unabated. No single item of achievement like education,
profession, legal rights or even the mixture of all these will work out a
solution - the only feasible solution is the change of mind, the change of attitude
of the men towards women. Till this is done, no amount of teaching, preaching
or bargaining will help the girl child.
• Change in attitude of women: There is a proverb in Telugu that “A woman
is enemy to another woman”. Eeven women have to change their
attitude towards the girl child/ women. At least partly women are
themselves responsible for their position. As women it is they who
pamper their sons and husbands till they begin to believe that they are
really superior beings.
• Gender discrimination: There should be full stop for gender
discrimination and an end to son preference. Both and boys and girls
should be treated equal in all aspects.
• Intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC): Intensive
Information, Education and Communication campaigns for raising
awareness among the public regarding the serious consequences of
decline in female sex ratio. We can understand the gravity of the
situation by the statement of GK Pillai, Union Home Secretary that
“Whatever major steps that have been put in the last 40 years have not had any
impact in the child sex ratio and therefore it requires complete review. Every
policy measure has to be looked into at the central government, state government
and at the panchayat level”.
Recently, on the eve of International Women Day, while presenting
‘Sthri Shakthi’ Awards, Mrs. Prathibha Devi Singh Patil said “It is great
concern for me that the female population in the country is only 58.6 crores,
while male population is 62.3 crores and thus there is a deficit of 3.7 crores
female population. Further, much more worry is about declining girl child sex
ratio (0-6), which has declined to 914 girl children per 1000 male children for
the first time after independence.
• Mass media: The mass media must be involved in promoting a positive
image of women. School and college girls should be the target
audience. However, this should be combined with highlighting the
issue and dangers of female feticide and skewed gender ratio.
• Reframing policies: Globalization has presented new challenges for
realization of the goal of women’s equality, the gender impact of which
42 • S. Vijay Kumar

has not been systematically evaluated fully. However from the macro-
level studies that are commissioned by the Department of Women and
Child Development, it is evident that there is a need for reframing
policies for access to employment and quality of employment.
• MTP: MTP providers need to be more vigilant when performing
second-trimester abortions. While the feminist discourse on abortion
advocates that abortion is a right over one’s body, sex-selective
abortion in itself is a form of female violence.
• Women empowerment: Education of women is a powerful tool for
improving nutrition levels, raising the age at marriage, acceptance of
family planning, improvement in self-image, and their empowerment.
India has ratified at various international conventions and human
rights instruments committing to secure equal rights of women. Key
among them is ratification of the Convention on Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1993.
• Reducing the gender gap: Reducing the gender gap in secondary and
higher education would be a focus area, with a special focus on girls
and women, particularly those belonging to weaker sections including
the SC/ST/ BC/Minorities.
• NGOs Role: NGOs may be encouraged to promote formation of self-
help groups, organize non-formal education for adult females and
school dropouts, create employment opportunities for women as well
as provide counseling and support services to newly married and
pregnant women to discourage them from undergoing sex-selective
abortion.
• Role of medical colleges and professional bodies: The role of medical colleges
and professional bodies such as Indian Medical Association (IMA),
Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI)
and association of radiologists, in countering this burning issue needs
to be given due importance. This may include:
• Sensitizing medical students regarding the adverse sex ratio while
stressing upon the ethical issues involved in female feticide.
• Conduct regular workshops/ Continuing Medical Education sessions
which would greatly help to reiterate the importance of this problem in
the country. Private practitioners should also be encouraged to
participate in such programs.
• Organize awareness campaigns in field practice areas.
• Warning Signals: “It (the decline in child sex ratio) was expected, but it is
a warning signal for the nation to wake up,” Ranjana Kumari, Director
of Centre for Social Research, said. She said the law banning sex-based
 Female Sex - Ratio in India – A Review • 43

abortion “is not stringently implemented”. “The caution should be

taken seriously. We are leading to a crisis situation,” she said. Social
activist Dr Sabu George said the larger cause for concern was the fact
that previously unaffected states were also indulging in sex
determination because of aggressive promotion of the sex selection
tests by doctors.
• Regular check and serous punishment: There should be regular check and
serious punishment for sex determination tests, female feticide,
infanticide and illegal abortions.
• Save the Girl Child Campaign: “Save the Girl Child campaign” launched
by Government of India must be intensified. One of its main objectives
is to lessen the preference for a son by highlighting the achievements of
young girls. To achieve the long-term vision, efforts are afloat to create
an environment where sons and daughters are equally valued. Boys
need to be educated at an early level with regard to giving respect and
equal regard to girls.
Dowry: The evil practice of dowry is widely prevalent in India. This
should be curbed by implementing stringent laws and punishment.
• Strategies to Curb Female Feticide: To take steps to improve the status of
women in the society and the other to ensure effective implementation
of the Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act so that families find
it difficult to undertake sex determination and selective abortion. The
steps primarily intend to provide them with greater opportunities for
education, employment and greater say in the matters of governance.
They have included steps to correct the bias in terms of inheritance
rights.
• Malnutrition: In view of the high risk of malnutrition and disease that
women face at all the three critical stages viz., infancy, childhood,
adolescent and reproductive phase, focused attention would be paid to
meeting the nutritional needs of women at all stages of life cycle.
• Positive Economic and Social policies: Creating an environment through
positive economic and social policies for full development of women to
enable them to realize their full potential.
• Equal Rights: The de-jure and de-facto enjoyment of all human rights
and fundamental freedom by women on equal basis with men in all
spheres-political, economic, social cultural and civil should be given.
• Equal Access: Equal access to participation, decision making of women in
social, political and economic life of the nation, equal remuneration,
occupational health and safety, social security and public office etc. is
essential.
44 • S. Vijay Kumar

• Strengthening legal systems: Strengthening legal systems aimed at

elimination of all forms of discrimination against women is the need of
the hour.
To conclude, India has yet a long way to go in her fight against
declining female sex ratio, pre-birth elimination of females. Time is quickly
ticking away. A shortage of girls would lead to a shortage of eligible brides
thus making the girl a “scarce commodity”. According to United Nations
Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) projection, by the year 2025 a
significant share of men above 30 would still be single, and that many will
never be able to marry at all. Men in the states of Haryana and Punjab are
already experiencing a nearly 20% deficit of marriageable women. A
concerted effort by the medical fraternity, the law, political leaders, NGOs,
media, teachers and the community itself is the need of the hour.

References
Swami Harshananda (2008), An Introduction to Hindu Culture. 1st Edition.
Bangalore (India): Ramakrishna Math.
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——(1994), International Conference on Population and Development; the 1995
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Bandyopadhyay S, Singh A., History of Son Preference and Sex Selection in India
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Ghosh S., The Female Child in India: A Struggle for Survival. Bull Nutr Found
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01-2006.
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