Table of Contents  
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Year : 2013  |  Volume : 6  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 212-213  

Declining child sex ratio-no solutions to improve?


District Reproductive and Child Health Officer (I), Department of Public Health, Solapur, Maharashtra, India

Date of Web Publication10-Apr-2013

Correspondence Address:
Hanmanta V Wadgave
Department of Public Health, Solapur, Maharashtra
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/0975-2870.110320

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How to cite this article:
Wadgave HV. Declining child sex ratio-no solutions to improve? . Med J DY Patil Univ 2013;6:212-3

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Wadgave HV. Declining child sex ratio-no solutions to improve? . Med J DY Patil Univ [serial online] 2013 [cited 2024 Mar 28];6:212-3. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/mjdy/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?2013/6/2/212/110320

Sir,

The preference of male son and discrimination against the girl child is universal in India and it manifest in many ways. Gender discrimination coupled with low status of women in the society, a patriarchal social framework and value based on son mania had influenced the sex ratio in unfavorable manner. The census has revealed that sex ratio in the age-group up to six years in India sharply declined from 945 females per 1000 males in 1991 to 914 in 2011. In Maharashtra the sex ratio in the age group up to six years fallen from 946 in 1991 to 883 in 2011. [1] This sharp fall in sex ratio is a wakeup call to public health authorities to intensify the legal actions against the medical practitioners who violates the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) act as well as a strong movement at various levels to eliminate the evil of gender discrimination.

Many researchers in India studied the various aspects in relation with declining sex ratio. The main focus of these studies was to explore the attitudes of women on gender preference. Vadera et al., [2] Puri et al., [3] Wadgave et al. [4] noted male child preference among women (58.5%, 56% and 48% respectively). The main reasons of male preference observed by Vadera et al. [2] were social responsibility carried by males (42.5%), propagation of family name (23%), dependable in old age (16%), pressure from family (11%), to perform cremation (4%), dowry (3%) and females are economic liability (3%). Ashturkar et al. [5] found that 57.14% of women of reproductive age group from rural area prefers son for support in old age and 32.88% due to family pressure. Wadgave et al. [4] noted that 55.56% pregnant women of slum area prefer male for propagation of family name, followed by support in old age (23.61%), family pressure (19.44%), earns money for family (6.94%), no dowry requires (4.17%) and perform cremation (4.17%). The responses given by the women as noted by researches [2],[4],[5] were based on cultural issues only which can be rectified with intensive information communication and education (IEC) activities. There was significant relation found between son preference and sex of the previous child, if the previous child was only female then the son preference was given by maximum women. [3],[4] No relation between educational status and sex preferences was noted. [4] Ashtrurkar et al. [5] observed no relation between awareness of PNDT act and the study subjects underwent for sex determination. Thus, the main solutions to improve the sex ratio are; 1. Intensification of PNDT activities through appropriate authorities on regular and strict basis. 2. Intensive information, education and communication (IEC) activities regarding gender issues should be conducted focusing on individual level, family level and community level through ASHA (accredited social health activist), self help groups (SHGs), non-government organizations etc. 3. Newer steps should be taken for proper implementation of women empowerment schemes like free education for girl child, strict implementation of child marriage restraint act, subsidized loan schemes for small business of women's group like SHGs. 4. Active involvement of medical colleges, medical professional bodies like Indian Medical Association (IMA), Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) and association of radiologists, in movement of Save the girl Child by creating the awareness among the medical practitioners about PNDT act, making a pressure group to stop female feticide by any professional colleague and also an active involvement in community awareness activities.

 
  References Top

1.Sahyadri, State Guest House Malbar Hill, Mumbai. Available from: http://censusindia.gov.in/2011- prov-results/data_files/maharastra/maha_at_aglance.pdf. [Last accessed on 2012 June 12].  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.Vadera BN, Joshi UK, Unadakat SV, Yadav BS, Yadav Sudha. Study on knowledge, attitude and practices regarding gender preference and female feticide among pregnant women. Indian J Community Med 2007;32:300-1.  Back to cited text no. 2
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3.Puri S, Bhatia V, Swami HM. Gender preference and awareness regarding sex determination among married women in slums of Chandigarh. Indian J Community Med. 2007;1:60-2.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.Wadgave HV, Jatti GM, Pore PD. Attitude of Pregnant Women towards the Gender Preference. Indian J Maternal and Child Health 2011;13:7.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.Ashturkar M, Fernandez K, Pandve HT. A cross-sectional study of factors influencing sex preference of a child among married women in reproductive age group in a rural area of Pune, Maharashtra. Indian J Community Med 2010;35:442-3.  Back to cited text no. 5
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