The Child Sex Ratio For India Dips To A New Low

Source: Times of India | Image Courtesy: yenilla

India’s child sex ratio stood at 918 girls per 1000 boys in 2011 – a 1% decline from the number recorded in 2001 – according to the new Census 2011 data released last Wednesday.

Child sex ratio refers to the number of girls in the age group of 0-6 years for every 1000 boys in the same age group.

The overall sex ratio (for all age groups) stands at 943, about 2.7% more than the child sex ratio. This is very significant as it represents an increasing gender discrimination in the newer generations despite an increased number of measures adopted to end prenatal sex discernment.

Shockingly, the current child sex ratio is also the lowest recorded since 1961. The sex ratio has been declining from 976 in 1961 to 927 in 2001, and to 918 in 2011.

Following is a comparison of the child sex ratio among the several religious communities in India, as per the Census 2011 report:

All religious communities in India have shown a decline in child sex ratio, except two which already have extremely skewed ratios. An abnormal sex ratio in a society eventually gives rise to a number of social and economic hazards, and hence it is extremely crucial for us to take urgent steps to ensure a healthy sex ratio in India.

While there are several laws against prenatal sex determination, they are evidently not being strictly implemented. Besides taking strong steps to completely abolish gender-based abortion, we need to educate the masses to end the negative outlook towards the girl child. Certain controlled incentives for underprivileged people with daughters might be introduced to counter the discrimination.