This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
India's skewed sex ratio has been a pressing concern for decades, with a 2019 government report revealing a staggering 63 million fewer women in the country than men.
The root of this issue lies in the deep-seated cultural preference for sons, which has been perpetuated for centuries. In the 1800s, daughters were viewed as a liability, regardless of caste, and were often seen as a burden on their families.
Boys, on the other hand, were considered a source of wealth and prosperity, as they would bring in dowry and carry on the family name. This skewed perception has led to a culture of female foeticide and infanticide, where baby girls are either killed at birth or aborted before they can be born.
According to the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF), mothers who refuse to comply with societal demands to bear sons are often ridiculed, abandoned, beaten, or killed by their husbands.
Before the advent of ultrasound technology, baby girls were often killed in their first year of life. However, with the rise of ultrasounds, sex-selective abortions became more prevalent, leading to a significant decline in the number of female births.
Despite a 1994 government ban on sex-selective abortions, the practice continues to this day, albeit illegally. The consequences of this cultural preference are far-reaching, with reports of human trafficking and the sale of women as brides in areas with a severe shortage of women.
Efforts to curb female foeticide and infanticide include abolishing dowry payment, but this has had limited success due to the deeply ingrained nature of the practice. In some regions, families will ensure they have a boy next after having a girl, and any subsequent girls are killed until a son is born.
However, in some eastern and southern states, women have been empowered to take part in economic activities, reducing gender discrimination and female foeticide.
