Integrated Project

Submitted By:-

Aashish Aniket KhusjeetShobitHarpreet

TOPIC-PREFERENCE

TO MALE CHLD

Introduction

Son preference in India is a well-documented phenomenon, and its implications for skewed sex ratios, female feticide and higher child mortality rates for girls have drawn research and policy attention. Less well researched are the underlying determinants of son preference as an ideology and its implications for living girls. Rohini Pande, Sc.D., at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has used data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) to address these three important questions: (1) What does a culture of son preference mean for the health and care of girls who are born and survive infancy? (2) How

strong is the ideology of son preference in India? (3) What factors exacerbate or diminish its strength? This brief highlights the findings from ICRW’s study addressing these questions. It also outlines the important implications of these findings for the policy and research agenda on gender discrimination against girls.

The systematic undervaluation of women is quite visible in our country in terms of lower status of girl child; unwantedness; practices as dowry; lower social status of parents of brides; lifelong responsibility of parents even after marriage; fear of sexual exploitation and abuse; disdain upon arrival of girl child and have been amply documented by various researchers.1-4 The sex ratio at birth favours females; lower female mortality throughout entire lifespan given equal medical care ; additionally men’s propensity to risk behaviours and violence increases premature mortality6, contrary to higher female mortality in the Indian scenario .

History In the history of mankind, there was a time when

women dominated the world. In due course of time, as the patriarchal societies evolved, the status of women gradually declined. Sons were preferred to daughters. In India, the Brahmin community promoted such customs and rituals, which gave more and more importance to sons e.g.. Lighting the funeral pyre of the father was told to be a pre-condition for salvation of his spirit. Similarly, in western civilization also women were considered to be weak. In consonance with such a mind-set man has been trying various techniques for sex-selection since antiquity and posture for.

sexual intercourse, special diet, charms and amulet and prayers etc. In Vedas also punsavana karma has been described as a technique for acquiring a son. Apart from these techniques, female infanticide has also been used as a way to create a male dominated, son-worshipping society. On development of the technique of ultrasonography as an example of progress of science and technology, man has devised a new way of killing females in womb itself, which has resulted in continuous decline in female: male sex ratio in India. To stop this, Indian Govt. promulgated PNDT Act 1994. But considering the widely prevalent practice of use of various regimen of sex-pre-selection by people as well as unscrupulous medical practitioners, Govt. of India has amended this Act (2002). Still, as authors have found in one of their studies, sex-selection drugs are being used widely by north Indians for getting a son. Here, it should be noted that sex-selection methods are being used in west also. But the perspective is different. There, it is not used for female feticide or for acquiring a son. Rather, it is more an effort towards demonstrating the control of man over the NATURE

Present Situation

A strong preference to male child presently exists in our society. Most of the factor that compel or favor son preference are social in origin. A cross-sectional study was conducted to ascertain the preference for male child. Now also in this modern

world boys are referred more than the girls which is not good in today's time. Nowadays , if given a chance girls could do the work equal to the boys.

SEX RATIO

The sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. In the majority of species, this is 1:1, the reasons for which are described in Fisher's principle. Some eusocialwasps, such as the Polistes fuscatus and the Polistes exclamans, seem to defy this ratio at times.The human sex ratio is of particular interest to anthropologists and demographers. In human societies, however, sex ratios at birth may be considerably skewed by factors such as the age of mother at birth, and by sex-selective abortion and infanticide. Exposure to pesticides and other environmental contaminants may be a significant contributing factor as well. As of 2014, the global sex ratio at birth is estimated at 107 boys to 100 girls (934 girls per 1000 boys).

Sex Ratio In Delhi

Total area of Delhi is 1,483 sq. km. Density of Delhi is 11,320 per sq km which is higher than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001, density of Delhi was 9,340 per sq km, while nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km. 

Sex Ratio in Delhi is 868 i.e. for each 1000 male, which is below national average of 940 as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of female was 821 per 1000 males in Delhi.

Sex Ratio in Punjab

Total area of Punjab is 50,362 sq. km. Density of Punjab is 551 per sq km which is higher than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001, density of Punjab was 484 per sq km, while nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km. 

Sex Ratio in Punjab is 895 i.e. for each 1000 male, which is below national average of 940 as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of female was 874 per 1000 males in Punjab. 

Sex Ratio In Haryana

Total area of Haryana is 44,212 sq. km. Density of Haryana is 573 per sq km which is higher than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001, density of Haryana was 478 per sq km, while nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km.

Sex Ratio in Haryana is 879 i.e. for each 1000 male, which is below national average of 940 as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of female was 861 per 1000 males in Haryana. 

Factors responsible

Sex selection is the attempt to control the sex of the offspring to achieve a desired sex. It can be accomplished in several ways, both pre- and post-implantation of an embryo, as well as at birth. It has been marketed under the title family balancing.

The reasons behind sex selection are due to three factors and provide an understanding for sex ratio imbalances as well as to project future trends. The factors are: (1) A preference for sons which stems from household structures “in which girls and women have a marginal social, economic and symbolic position, and consequently enjoy fewer rights.” [1] These household structures also focus on security in which sons are expected to provide support to their parents throughout their life; (2) Technological growth of prenatal diagnosis which allows parents to know the sex of their unborn child; and (3) Low fertility which increases the need for sex selection by reducing the probability of having a son in smaller families. UNFPA states that “Local fertility restrictions and spontaneous rapid fertility decline below replacement levels tend to compel parents who want both a son and a small family size to resort to sex selection.” [

Measures adopted by govt. to control Sex Ratio

Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy entailing schemes, programmes, and awareness generation/advocacy measures, to build a positive environment to save and protect the girl child through gender sensitive policies, provision and legislation.Further, under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and within its umbrella the Reproductive. and Child HealthProgramme, many interventions have been launched to improve sex ratio.The measures include the following:-

For prohibition of sex selection, before and after conception, and for regulation of prenatal diagnostic techniques, the Government has enacted a comprehensive legislation, the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act in 1994. It was further amended in 2003.

Bibliography

Son preference in countries like India results in higher female infant mortality rates and differentially lower access to health care and education for girls than for boys. We use a nationally representative survey of Indian households (NFHS-3) to conduct the first study that analyzes whether son preference is associated with girls bearing a larger burden of housework than boys. Housework is a non-negligible part of child labour in which around 60% of children in our sample are engaged. The preference for male offspring is measured by a mother's ideal proportion of sons among her offspring. We show that when the ideal proportion increases from 0 to 1, the gap in the time spent on weekly housework for an average girl compared to that of boy increases by 2.5 hours. We conduct several robustness analyses. First, we estimate the main model separately by caste, religion and family size. Second, we use a two-stage model to look at participation into housework (as well as other types of work) in addition to hours. Third, we use mother's fertility intentions as an alternative measure of son preference. The analysis confirms that stated differences in male-preference translate in de facto differences in girl's treatment.