Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Alyallen]

Rise in India's female feticide may spark crisis

By Nita Bhalla Fri Aug 31, 2:17 AM ET

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - [b]Increasing female feticide in India could spark a demographic crisis where fewer women in society will result in a rise in sexual violence and child abuse as well as wife-sharing, the United Nations warned.

Despite laws banning tests to determine the sex of an unborn child, the killing of female fetuses is common in some regions of India where a preference for sons runs deep.

As a result, the United Nations says an estimated 2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day in India.

This has led to skewed sex ratios in regions like Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as well as the capital, New Delhi, where a census in 2001 showed there are less than 800 girls for every 1,000 boys.

"The 2001 census was a wake-up call for all of us and much public awareness have been created on female feticide since then," Ena Singh, assistant representative for the United Nations Population Fund in India told Reuters.

"But initial figures show sex ratios are still declining as female feticide is becoming more widespread across the country and it is likely to be worse in the next census in 2011."

In most parts of India, sons are viewed as breadwinners who will look after their parents and carry on the family name, but daughters are viewed as financial liabilities for whom they will have to pay substantial dowries to get married off.

DEMOGRAPHIC CRISIS?

Activists say female feticide is rising because of the availability of technologies like ultrasonography and amniocentesis to determine the gender of fetuses at the request of the parents.

If the fetus is found to be a girl, it is aborted.

As a result, the government says around 10 million girls have been killed by their parents -- either before or immediately after birth -- over the past 20 years.

Experts warn that fewer women will spark a demographic crisis in many parts of country.

"There already is this phenomenon all over the country where there is a lot of sexual violence and abuse against women and children across the country," said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research, a New Delhi based think-tank.

"But when there are less women in the population and more men of the same age group, there is certainly going to be much more demand for women for marriage, for sex and this pressure will certainly increase violence against women."

Experts say practices such as polyandry -- where several men, often brothers, share the same wife are already emerging in areas where there are fewer women.

Brides are also now being sold and trafficked by their parents to areas like Haryana and Punjab where bachelors are being forced to look beyond their own culture, caste and social grouping to find a wife.

Activists say these women have to adapt to an alien culture with a different language, diet, and social norms and are often treated as second-class citizens by the community who view their value based on their ability to produce male off-spring.

"There is this myth that fewer women will give them better status in society but this is a fallacy," said activist Sabu George.[/b]

"Women in India are already being treated as commodities to be bought and sold and their plight will worsen as sex ratios continue to decline."

http://tinyurl.com/2obd3p

[Adventurer]

Many Indian men seem desperate for women as it is, they should fight against this infanticide, because they will have to turn to celibacy or another life-style in large numbers if this infanticide keeps up.. It is mindless this hatred for females.

[Tony_Balony]

Its a bad scene, a real bad scene in a great number of ways. Very regretful and very unfortunate. I have a horribly unPC analysis available.

[thepeel]

[Alyallen]

[Tony_Balony]

Sure, I often rail against race mixing. Here's more.

Those Indian men will seek brides elsewhere but its assured they'll seek the company of lighter skinned women and not of Black or dark skinned women.

I'm White. Should I protect my women from this? Is this the basis for multicultural societies? Wow, more sexual competition from swarthy men with good math grades. Sounds like a good deal.

Its an accurate analysis of a real sick situation.

[bucheon bum]

what? yeah, indian dudes are going to swoop into america, grab random white women and flee back to india.

great theory.

[On the other hand]

[stevemcgarrett]

Good thread topic, Alyallen.

This despicable trend is already occurring in China, causing grief to millions of rural male workers, particularly those displaced to urban areas.

But what of Korea, which has one of the highest gender imbalances in the world? Here the desire for males is not driven by religious belief, or even economic necessity but deeply ingrained social attitudes.

[thepeel]

Regardless of why they are doing it, I take this as yet another way in which Western culture and ideas are measurably better than others.

The ironic things is that the result of this patriarchal outcome will be more patriarchy. A society with an acute shortage of women will only become more male-dominated.

[canuckistan]

Not good having so many men roaming the streets with little hope of marrying and no real ties to the community.

[xtchr]

I hope this method of expressing disappointment at having a baby girl doesn't catch on.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6983435.stm

[Alyallen]

[nautilus]

This Asian hatred for women has to stop. Whats so great about boys, for pitys sake!!??Little princes are a pain in the as&!!
They should reverse tradition so that women command a high bride price. That way having girls would be a financial investment.

[Privateer]

Is it possible the gender imbalance may cause women's status to rise? I believe that is in the process of happening in Korea, although it's also part of modernisation, globalisation, etc.