SEX
RATIO AT BIRTH – POLITY
News: Sex ratio at birth up by 15 points,
from 918 in 2014-15 to 933 in 2022-23
What's
in the news?
● The
sex ratio at birth has improved by 15 points from 918 in 2014-15 to 933 in
2022-23 in the country, Union minister Smriti Irani told the Lok Sabha.
Key
takeaways:
● The
govt credited the 'BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO' scheme for the positive change.
Sex
Ratio:
● The
sex ratio is the number of females per 1000 males in a particular area at a
given time.
Reasons
for declined sex ratio:
● Pre Natal Sex Determination
is the main reason for the low sex ratio in India.
● Patriarchal societies
in many parts of India have translated their prejudice and bigotry into a
compulsive preference for boys and discriminations against the girl child.
● Women's
work is always socially devalued with limited
autonomy in decision making.
● Dowry
is the main cause of low sex ratio.
● Poverty
and lack of education: Extreme poverty and lack of education are also some of
the reasons for women’s low status in society.
● Infant Mortality
– Infant mortality rate is the number of death of babies before the age of one.
Due to female foeticide, the sex ratio declines terribly.
● Maternal mortality
also contributes to the declining sex ratio as most of the women die during
childbirth due to improper care and less facilities.
● Lack of empowerment of women
– There is a lack of empowerment of women especially in the rural areas. Women
do not enjoy opportunities as men do. Due to lack of education, women are
unable to establish their roles in many places. The state of Uttar Pradesh has
become like a grave for girls.
● Social status of women
– In most parts of India, women are merely considered as an object. People are
worried about the dowry issue with the birth of a girl child. Due to financial
problem, most of the families in rural areas prefer male child over female.
Implications
of low sex ratio at birth:
● Low
Sex ratio at birth has led to large
numbers of “surplus men” in countries like India and China.
● Skewed
sex ratio leads to more violence against women, as well as human trafficking.
● In
India, some villages in Haryana and Punjab have such poor ratios that men
“import” brides from other states. This is often accompanied by the exploitation of these brides.
Government’s
initiatives:
1.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao:
● It
is one of the important campaigns introduced by the government to generate
awareness and improve the efficiency of the welfare services meant for women.
2.
Sukanya Samriddhi Account:
● It
is notified by the Ministry of Finance on 2 December, 2014.
● The
initiative aims at opening a new account for the girl child.
3.
Girl Child Protection Scheme:
● It
is aimed at preventing the gender discrimination by protecting the rights of
the girl child.
● It
also tries to eliminate the negative attitudes and practices against the girl
child.
4.
Aapki Beti, Humari Beti:
● Haryana
has the lowest sex ratio in India.
● To
cope up with this issue, the Haryana government launched this scheme.
● The
scheme would be implemented in both rural and urban areas.
● It
would target the girl child of Scheduled Caste and Below Poverty Line (BPL)
families.
5.
Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Bill:
● It
is introduced in Parliament in 1991, passed in 1994 to stop female infanticide
and many more such Acts.
Challenges
in implementing laws:
● Lack
of resources to carry out inspection and monitoring.
● Lack
of corresponding qualified staff.
● Poor
performance of advisory committees at various levels.
● Insufficient
understanding of the law and procedural errors.
WAY
FORWARD:
● Strict
implementation of laws banning female foeticide and dowry.
● Providing
old age pension for parents who had no son.
● Free
and compulsory education for girls.
● Job
reservation for women in specific occupations and giving them an equal share in
the property, in the true sense of the word.
● Efforts
should be made to implement these laws effectively.
● Strict
punishment should be given to the defaulters.
● The
vulnerable minds of the children should be so influenced that they grow up as
adults who consider practicing dowry and female foeticide as immoral.
● Women
should also be socialized from early childhood to consider themselves as equal
to men. This would be a positive influence on the coming generations as today’s
girl child would be tomorrow’s mother as well as mother in-law.
● Need
to change the Mindset of the people.