Read these 2 really interesting articles on The Economist:
- The war on baby girls – Gendercide Killed, aborted or neglected, at least 100m girls have disappeared—and the number is rising
- Gendercide – The worldwide war on baby girls Technology, declining fertility and ancient prejudice are combining to unbalance societies
I originally thought these articles were about China’s one-child policy. It does touch upon that and the policy definitely exacerbates the issue. However, the abnormally higher male-borns to female-borns ratio is also seen in economically-rich and developed countries such as South Korea and Taiwan. The main reason attributed is the “son preference” of many eastern cultures: the fact that the son is seen as continuing your legacy and the daughter is seen as given away when she’s married.
As a Hindu saying puts it, “Raising a daughter is like watering your neighbours’ garden.”
Another interesting note mentioned is that it’s not the one-child policy but rather the relaxation of it that is causing this abnormal upsurge of male-borns in China. Their example uses Guangdong (where my parents are from and apparently China’s most populous province, something I didn’t know). Their ratio is 120 boys to 100 girls, while the natural average is closer to 103-106. However, they did a comparison of ratios between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-borns:
- 1st born: 108 boys to 100 girls
- 2nd born: 146 boys to 100 girls
- 3rd born: 167 boys to 100 girls