Gender Holocaust: The Issue of Female Feticide
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120160105 |
| Date | 01 January 2016 |
| Author | Parveen Pannu |
| Published date | 01 January 2016 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
GENDER HOLOCAUST: THE ISSUE
OF
FEMALE
FETICIDE
PARVEEN
PANNU
Indian census has always shown a gender imbalance. This
marked gap between boys and girls, which has nationwide
implications, is the result
of
decisions made at the most local
level-the
family. Decades
of
sex
determination tests
and
female feticide have acquired genocide proportions.
The
article
provides an overview
of
the mechanisms and consequences
of
these growing gender imbalances as observed today in
India and its states through the complexities involved in the
analysis
of
the sex ratio indicator covering women s survival
and safety. It examines the extent
of
the trend towards more
masculine populations. as well as its demographic determinants
such as sex ratio at birth, mortality differentials, and the
economic indicators. It is shown that this phenomenon is also
characterised by distinctive regional and social variations
within India.
INTRODUCTION
THE TERM 'missing women' was first coined in the late 1980s by Nobel
laureate Amartya Sen. The economist observed that the demographic
deficit
of
women affecting mainly in Asia and North Africa went against
biological trends: indeed, when they receive the same care, infant boys are
normally more vulnerable to mortality than girls, often resulting in women
outnumbering men in the adult population. Therefore, Sen argued, the
primary cause for unequal sex ratios is discriminatory treatment rooted in
the cultural preference for boys (Sen, 1990).
Sex ratio
at
birth has emerged as an indicator
of
sex discrimination in
some countries. High sex ratio at birth in India is now attributed to sex-
selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. Census
data (2011) shows that the child sex ratio has fallen to an all time low level
during the last five decades. There
is
rampant neglect
of
daughters and
preference for sons in many states in India despite the advances made in
education, literacy, health care, and income attainment. The devaluation
of
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girls is attributed to reasons such as low gender status, restrictive religious
customs and practices, patriarchal affiliation. While India has experienced
high economic growth and increases in GDP during the last decade, many
states and rural areas are facing enormous challenges in coping with poverty,
illiteracy, and unequal gender development.
This article examines the ground realities impacting the phenomenon
of
female feticide and the issue
of
survival
of
women in India. It aims
at
a critical review
of
the available data
on
the level
of
and trends in female
feticide and
of
the associated differentials during the last century. The
study begins
by
setting out an approach to the analysis
of
data on female
feticide during different time periods. This approach is adopted to help
identify and assess the possible role
of
different intervention programmes.
First, in Section I, an overview
of
India and the demographic, social and
economic status
of
the 35 states and Union Territories in India are presented.
Section II gives the trends in the sex ratio which are analysed through the
secondary data obtained from the Census reports among states with varying
sex ratios in order to shed light on this issue. Section III is presented with
the discussion on some
of
the economic, cultural, religious, and biological
reasons attributed to female feticide and son preference in India. Section IV
is devoted
to
the future prospects
of
gender imbalance in India
~d
addresses
the implications
of
a skewed sex ratio
on
Indian development, and the last
Section V contains the concluding points.
I.
An
Overview
of
India and the Heterogeneity
of
the Indian States
In order to understand the trends
of
sex ratio, neglect
of
girls, and
increasing son preference there is need to have a general understanding
of
the Indian sub-continent. India is divided into 28 states and seven
Union Territories. The different states and Union Territories are highly
heterogeneous with respect to economic conditions, poverty, culture, dialect,
religion, and gender development. Its demographic characteristics provide
an overview
of
population and vital statistics in the country (Table 1). The
population statistics that have been studied include indicators that measure
the population size, sex ratio, child sex ratio, literacy rate, and density
while vital statistics have included indicators such as birth rate, death rate,
and natural growth rate, life expectancy
at
birth, mortality
rates-maternal
mortality rate and infant mortality rate and fertility rates sourced from
Census Reports and Human Development Report 2013.
As per the Census 2011 report, India has a population
of
1.21
billion
with 72.2 per cent living in rural areas and about 27.8
per
cent living in
·urban areas. India accounts for a meager 2.4 per cent
of
the total world
surface area
of
1357 .9 lakh sq km. Age distribution
of
the population shows
31.4 per cent in 0-14 age group while only 7.4 per cent are in 60 plus age
group (Table 1 ).
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