The world population has a sex ratio of 990 females per 1000 males

Sex ratio:

Japan 1041

USA 1029

Indonesia 1004

Bangladesh 953

China 944

India 933

India has one of the lowest sex ratios in the world

………………………………………………………….

On a national level the sex ratio in the age group 0-6 has declined drastically

1991: 945

2001: 927

Mumbai City has only 898 girls per 1000 boys in the age group 0-6 years.

India Maharashtra Mumbai

Girls age 6-12 attending school

76.5 89.5 91.9

Boys age 6-12 attending school

84.7 92.0 94.0

Institutional deliveries 50.7 52.6 85.3

Total fertility rate 3.39 2.52 2.13

Childhood mortality 67.6 44.0 24.5

Mumbai’s performance on other indicators is impressive

Why is the Sex ratio so

low?

A certain percent of under-enumeration of

girls is observed

However it cannot account for such large

differences

Childhood mortality among girls and female infanticide also lead to

skewed sex ratio

Mostly the low sex ratio in Mumbai is due to sex

selective abortions!

In Mumbai, 1986, before implementation of the PNDT act

7999 out of 8000 abortions carried out after sex determination tests were female foetuses. Feminist discourse on sex screening and selective abortion of female fetuses By Farhat Moazam, Bioethics, Volume 18 Issue 3June 2004

Abortion is the right of the woman and legalized in India under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

However having an abortion based only on the gender of the foetus is illegal….

…..and a horrible form of gender discrimination

Evidence suggests that the PNDT act has not had the intended effect.

The declining sex ratio in the age group

0-6 exemplifies the failure of the PNDT

act.

This is supported by the sex ratio at birth:

131 boys per 100 girls

[Rapid household survey in Greater Mumbai]

17.3% women in Mumbai want more boys than girls, while only 2.8% want more girls than boys

There is almost no difference between the sex preference in Mumbai’s slum and non-slum areas.

The adverse sex ratio creates “shortage” of women and has severe long-term implications

……………………………………………………….

The ‘shortage’ of women does not lead to their increased value, but to greater restrictions and control placed over them.

There are reports of increasing numbers of women being trafficked and sold for marriage in Rajasthan and Gujarat

                                                   

Would you like to see women achievers in the future?

                 

                                

Don’t deny the

girl child the right to be born.

Welcome her into your life.

Support

Make a difference!

Sources Status of Women in India. Advocacy Internet: Vol: 5: issue no.04 July-Aug.

2003. Published by NCAS.

The Shame of Mumbai. Declining Sex Ratio Is a Cause For Concern, Population First Newsletter, August Issue 15.08.2004

The practice of sex selective abortion in India: may you be the Mother of a hundred sons by Rita Patel M.D.

Abortion vs. selective conceiving. Heading towards an imbalanced society by Puneet Kaur. New Delhi. 07.04.2002. http://www.boloji.com/women/02725.htm

Women in India. How free? How equal? By Kalyani Menin-Sen and A K Shiva Kumar. United Nations Resident Coordinator. 2001.

Review of initiatives to combat child trafficking by members of the save the children alliance 2003

Doctors what about your duty? Indianest.com by Anjali Deshpande. 04.06.2002. http://www.boloji.com/wfs/wfs044.htm

Natioal Family Health Survey India 1998-99. NFHS-2 Maharashtra. International Institute for Population Issues.

Girl shortage causes wife buying in India. Futurepundit. 05.02.2003.

Feminist discourse on sex screening and selective abortion of female fetuses By Farhat Moazam, Bioethics, Volume 18 Issue 3June 2004

Prepared by Lone Søndergaard Population First