Census spotlights India’s ‘missing girls’
The problem of India’s “missing girls” has been put under a harsh spotlight by new census data showing the ratio of female to male children at its lowest level since independence in 1947. According to the latest national headcount, there are now just 914 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of six, down from a ratio of 927 for every 1,000 a decade ago.
Despite India’s steady economic rise in the past 10 years, the figures show the social bias against having girls remains as strong as ever, with illegal sex-selective abortions facilitated by cheap ultrasound technology. “The figures should make us think 100 times before we call ourselves citizens of a progressive nation,” said Delhi University social scientist Gitika Vasudev.
India’s sex ratio has been falling continuously since 1961, when it stood at 976 girls for every 1,000 boys, and Vasudev said the latest data was “proof of India’s collective failure” to protect girl children. The global average is 1,050 girls for every 1,000 boys.
I posted an article on this subject regarding the very same situation in China a while back on the Daily. And I got offended when Charlotte from “Sex and the City” was upset that Bunny granted her far less money in her prenup with her son for having a daughter than a son!