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Summary

Between the late 1990s and 2017, there were 23.1 million recorded missing female births, leading to an unbalanced sex ratio at birth (SRB), with India accounting for over half of this population. Although the government is making strides to improve women's status in society and enact legislation to increase the value of a girl child, some deeply ingrained cultural and societal ideas strongly favor sons, leading to active discrimination against daughters. Distortions in the sex ratio at birth are related to the persistence of patriarchal norms and unequal gender roles, which lead to a desire for sons, a decline in fertility, a reduction in preferred family sizes, and scientific advancements that enable the identification of the sex of the fetus.

In India, son preference is a well-documented phenomenon, and its implications for skewed gender ratios, female feticide, and higher child mortality rates for girls have attracted the interest of academicians and politicians. Less research has been done on the fundamentals of son preference as an ideology. With this goal in mind, a thorough secondary evaluation of the socio-cultural biases and norms that, in spite of the laws prohibiting it, contribute to increasing prenatal sex selection in India was done. According to the study findings, it is critical to underline the importance of persistent and collective efforts from all stakeholders: altering social perceptions of the value of girls necessitates collective effort and equal engagement from all stakeholders, including civil society groups and the local community.

To read the paper, please click the linked file.