Indian new treat -The declining Child sex ratio

According to the economic survey 2017-18, 63 million girls were missing in the Indian population and 21 million girls were unwanted. Parents continued to have children till they get a male child, which is called as Meta preference for a son, this phenomena has resulted in 21 million unwanted girls. Female foeticide in India is present from the time of technological advancements in the medical field as prenatal sex determination in the 1970s. Officially seen as an aid to detect the congenital anomalies, genetic defects in the fetus, while the desire of a family to acquire a male child has replaced the primary use of the technique for sex determination. The development of a non-invasive and less expensive technique has rendered sex determination to the middle-class families fulfilling their wish of bearing a male child. The 2011 Indian census revealed about 7.1 million fewer girls than boys aged 0–6 years, a notable increase in the gap of 6.0 million fewer girls recorded in the 2001 census and the gap of 4.2 million fewer girls recorded in the 1991 census.“The population of India has long been characterized by a numerical deficit of female, and for at least some age groups this sex ratio imbalance has grown over recent decades. Although the reported sex ratio at birth may have improved (i.e., become less masculine) slightly in recent years the most recent 2011 Indian census surprised many observers by revealing a growing deficit of female children. Although the overall trend in the masculinization of India’s total population has been somewhat discontinuous and may have abated some what between the 2001 and 2011 censuses (Census of India 2011), increases in the number of males per females have been especially pronounced at the younger ages. Guilmoto reports an increase in the childhood (ages 0 to 4) sex ratio of 98 boys per 100 girls in 1971 to over 107 boys per 100 girls in 2001. By 2011, there were 109.4 boys per 100 girls (ages 0-6) recorded in the India census. Both the level of, and recent changes in, the Indian population sex ratio exhibit sharp regional variation. For example, the sex ratio at birth (boys per 100 girls) in Punjab circa 2000 was over 129, and was almost as high in several other states. And across the Indian states, the current sex ratio for the child population (ages 0–6) ranges widely.” For example, there are currently 120.5 boys per 100 girls in the northern state of Haryana compared to 104.3 in the southern state of Kerala (Census of India 2011). The “missing” girls and women of India reflected in these figures constitute a critical concern for scholars and policymakers alike India, a longstanding preference for sons and, more recently, sexselective abortion. Medical technology has become curse undead of being “help to explain much of the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth. Increased mortality in female in the ages group of 2–5 is particularly acute. In turn, the most important proximate causes of excess female mortality during early childhood are sex differences in health care, including immunization and hospitalization, and a gender bias in nutrition and feeding. More distally, sex ratio imbalances at birth and during childhood are rooted in a patriarchal social structure that privileges the familial and economic contributions of boys and men over that of girls and women.

Factors Influencing Female Foeticide in India by Khatun S et al stated that “female Foeticide is taking place for various factors viz. economic, socio ritual, and technological”.

Economic Factors: the female Foeticide in the 21st century have a great deal to do with financial modernity. There are various aspects of it lying behind these occurrences.

There is a clear inverse relationship found between the income level and child sex ratio in the rural households with landed property. These are evident more commonly in south India. Also, there is difference found even in the wage level for males and females. Females are paid less renumeration for the same amount of work. In most cases women enter in the domestic non-paid services which a patriarchal society gives little or no value at all, so they are regarded as liability than assets.

The cultural politics of dowry in the Indian society have a major role to play for this malignant phenomenon. Foeticide may cost one- or two-month’s earnings, whiledowry requiresmobilisationofseveralyears’income. Hence there appears equilibrium between service seeker and provider. UNICEF estimates that the turnover of foeticide industry has now reached 244 million dollars from 77 million dollar in 2006.

The sex ratio is a concern because it is not just been part of no education, or low economy though it is more prevalent in them, we find this as a problem even in higher socio economic and educated families. The literature says that Kerala 0-6 years is 104 Boys less compared to 112 in Haryana but still the Boys are more which is worrying. In Karnataka the overall sex ratio is improving in many districts but there are district like Dakshina Kannada which is doing very well with regard to health is facing major problem of continuous declining in Child sex ratio.

Here the concern is not just the sex ratio, but the attitude in the society towards female and so the girl child. This change in attitude not only hinders child sex ratio but it will also effect the maternal, infant and other mortalities too. We need health mind to build a health society. If the attitude is to promote differentiate sex ratio, the female intend to become second citizen and all over health system will collapse.

The focus should be on a continuous emphasis on need of girl Child in the society and making the equality a necessity will be a good exercise to all.