An article in the Independent that has been retweeted a lot begins: 'Some call it India's "gendercide". In the past three decades up to 12 million unborn girls have been deliberately aborted by Indian parents determined to ensure they have a male heir.' The reason the paper ran the story is that the results from India's latest census were released this week and revealed a serious decline in the number of girls under seven. Of course the issue is not new. Here's a lengthy piece in the Economist on the number of girls disappearing in Asia and the Far East. The charity Plan International is making the case that country's will see fantastic returns on investment in girls, partly because of previous neglect. And before we think that preferring girls is something that only exists in the developing world, here's a blog post about whether it's wrong to want a boy or a girl, and a post on Yahoo answers discussing people who want a boy more than a girl. All of which leads me to the two questions you'll know I want to ask you. If you've had children, did you mind if they were boys or girls? And is there anything wrong in wanting one over the other? Also, in your society, whether it's right or wrong, is a boy worth more than a girl to your family in your society?
Your comments
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18:56
115046883
Indian will face a crisis when it runs out women for it鈥檚 men to marry. perhaps then they will learn. jillE
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18:45
108586431
As soon as we accept not only gender but also race and creed as equal the world will be a better place for all of us.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:40
117152423
@麻豆社_WHYS #WHYS In India, empowering women to contribute to economy of country and home can do the trick :)
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:40
117937655
@麻豆社_WHYS Couples are scared. They worry a lot about what (asinine) members of society say. Their lives/thinking are not their own.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:37
114721964
@麻豆社_WHYS it's archaic and fearful attitudes like The woman on air right now that make life for women hard. #whys
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:37
117152423
@麻豆社_WHYS #WHYS I come from as state <Kerala>in India where there is more gls than boyz.http://india.gov.in/knowindia/demography_kerala.php
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:34
116013126
@麻豆社_WHYS Among Black Americans women remain part of their family after marriage, daughter are more likely care for their parents
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
18:31
117063444
@麻豆社_whys Perhaps one difference vs. 40yrs ago is the ability to determine a fetus's gender, and less qualms about abortion vs. infanticide.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
19:02
117929289
@麻豆社_WHYS under Islamic sharia law it is the husband who must provide the dowry, not the bride. And the marriage is false without it
Are boys more valuable than girls?
| Wednesday, 5 May 2011 | 17:34 - 20:00 GMT
An article in the Independent that has been retweeted a lot begins: 'Some call it India's "gendercide". In the past three decades up to 12 million unborn girls have been deliberately aborted by Indian parents determined to ensure they have a male heir.' The reason the paper ran the story is that the results from India's latest census were released this week and revealed a serious decline in the number of girls under seven.
Of course the issue is not new. Here's a lengthy piece in the Economist on the number of girls disappearing in Asia and the Far East.
The charity Plan International is making the case that country's will see fantastic returns on investment in girls, partly because of previous neglect.
And before we think that preferring girls is something that only exists in the developing world, here's a blog post about whether it's wrong to want a boy or a girl, and a post on Yahoo answers discussing people who want a boy more than a girl.
All of which leads me to the two questions you'll know I want to ask you.
If you've had children, did you mind if they were boys or girls? And is there anything wrong in wanting one over the other?
Also, in your society, whether it's right or wrong, is a boy worth more than a girl to your family in your society?
Your comments
Comment sent via SMS
Indian will face a crisis when it runs out women for it鈥檚 men to marry. perhaps then they will learn. jillE
Comment sent via SMS
As soon as we accept not only gender but also race and creed as equal the world will be a better place for all of us.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS #WHYS In India, empowering women to contribute to economy of country and home can do the trick :)
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS Couples are scared. They worry a lot about what (asinine) members of society say. Their lives/thinking are not their own.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS it's archaic and fearful attitudes like The woman on air right now that make life for women hard. #whys
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS #WHYS I come from as state <Kerala>in India where there is more gls than boyz.http://india.gov.in/knowindia/demography_kerala.php
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS Among Black Americans women remain part of their family after marriage, daughter are more likely care for their parents
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_whys Perhaps one difference vs. 40yrs ago is the ability to determine a fetus's gender, and less qualms about abortion vs. infanticide.
Comment sent via unknown: 23057
@麻豆社_WHYS under Islamic sharia law it is the husband who must provide the dowry, not the bride. And the marriage is false without it