3. Son preference in India is a well-documented phenomenon, and its
implications for skewed sex ratios, female feticide and higher child
mortality rates for girls have drawn research and policy attention. Less
well researched are the underlying determinants of son preference as
an ideology and its implications for living girls. Rohini Pande, Sc.D., at the
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has used data from
the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) to address these three
important questions: (1) What does a culture of son preference mean for
the health and care of girls who are born and survive infancy? (2) How
strong is the ideology of son preference
in India? (3) What factors exacerbate or
diminish its strength? This brief highlights
the findings from ICRW’s study addressing
these questions. It also outlines the
important
implications of these findings for the policy
and research agenda on gender
discrimination
against girls.

4.  The systematic undervaluation of women is quite
visible in our country in terms of lower status of girl
child; unwantedness; practices as dowry; lower
social status of parents of brides; lifelong
responsibility of parents even after marriage; fear
of sexual exploitation and abuse; disdain upon
arrival of girl child and have been amply
documented by various researchers.1-4 The sex
ratio at birth favours females; lower female
mortality throughout entire lifespan given equal
medical care ; additionally men’s propensity to
risk behaviours and violence increases premature
mortality6, contrary to higher female mortality in
the Indian scenario .

6.  In the history of mankind, there was a time when women
dominated the world. In due course of time, as the
patriarchal societies evolved, the status of women
gradually declined. Sons were preferred to daughters. In
India, the Brahmin community promoted such customs
and rituals, which gave more and more importance to
sons e.g.. Lighting the funeral pyre of the father was told
to be a pre-condition for salvation of his spirit. Similarly, in
western civilization also women were considered to be
weak. In consonance with such a mind-set man has
been trying various techniques for sex-selection since
antiquity and posture for.

7.  sexual intercourse, special diet, charms and amulet and
prayers etc. In Vedas also punsavana karma has been
described as a technique for acquiring a son. Apart from
these techniques, female infanticide has also been used as
a way to create a male dominated, son-worshipping
society. On development of the technique of
ultrasonography as an example of progress of science and
technology, man has devised a new way of killing females
in womb itself, which has resulted in continuous decline in
female: male sex ratio in India. To stop this, Indian Govt.
promulgated PNDT Act 1994. But considering the widely
prevalent practice of use of various regimen of sex-pre-
selection by people as well as unscrupulous medical
practitioners, Govt. of India has amended this Act (2002).
Still, as authors have found in one of their studies, sex-
selection drugs are being used widely by north Indians for
getting a son. Here, it should be noted that sex-selection
methods are being used in west also. But the perspective is
different. There, it is not used for female feticide or for
acquiring a son. Rather, it is more an effort towards
demonstrating the control of man over the NATURE

8.  A strong preference to male child presently
exists in our society. Most of the factor that
compel or favor son preference are social in
origin. A cross-sectional study was conducted
to ascertain the preference for male child.
Now also in this modern
world boys are referred more than
the girls which is not good in today's
time. Nowadays , if given a chance
girls could do the work equal to
the boys.

9. The sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. In the
majority of species, this is 1:1, the reasons for which are described
in Fisher's principle. Some eusocialwasps, such as the Polistes
fuscatus and the Polistes exclamans, seem to defy this ratio at times.
The human sex ratio is of particular interest to anthropologists and
demographers. In human societies, however, sex ratios at birth may be
considerably skewed by factors such as the age of mother at birth, and
by sex-selective abortion and infanticide. Exposure to pesticides and
other environmental contaminants may be a
significant contributing factor as well. As
of 2014, the global sex ratio at birth is
estimated at 107 boys to 100 girls (934 girls
per 1000 boys).

11.  Total area of Delhi is 1,483 sq. km. Density of
Delhi is 11,320 per sq km which is higher than
national average 382 per sq km. In 2001,
density of Delhi was 9,340 per sq km, while
nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km.
 Sex Ratio in Delhi is 868 i.e. for each 1000
male, which is below national average of 940
as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of
female was 821 per 1000 males in Delhi.

13.  Total area of Punjab is 50,362 sq. km. Density
of Punjab is 551 per sq km which is higher than
national average 382 per sq km. In 2001,
density of Punjab was 484 per sq km, while
nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km.
 Sex Ratio in Punjab is 895 i.e. for each 1000
male, which is below national average of 940
as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of
female was 874 per 1000 males in Punjab.

15.  Total area of Haryana is 44,212 sq. km. Density
of Haryana is 573 per sq km which is higher
than national average 382 per sq km. In 2001,
density of Haryana was 478 per sq km, while
nation average in 2001 was 324 per sq km.
 Sex Ratio in Haryana is 879 i.e. for each 1000
male, which is below national average of 940
as per census 2011. In 2001, the sex ratio of
female was 861 per 1000 males in Haryana.

17.  Sex selection is the attempt to control the sex of the offspring to
achieve a desired sex. It can be accomplished in several ways,
both pre- and post-implantation of an embryo, as well as at birth.
It has been marketed under the title family balancing.
 The reasons behind sex selection are due to three factors and
provide an understanding for sex ratio imbalances as well as to
project future trends. The factors are: (1) A preference for sons
which stems from household structures “in which girls and women
have a marginal social, economic and symbolic position, and
consequently enjoy fewer rights.” [1] These household structures
also focus on security in which sons are expected to provide
support to their parents throughout their life; (2) Technological
growth of prenatal diagnosis which allows parents to know the
sex of their unborn child; and (3) Low fertility which increases the
need for sex selection by reducing the probability of having a son
in smaller families. UNFPA states that “Local fertility restrictions and
spontaneous rapid fertility decline below replacement levels tend
to compel parents who want both a son and a small family size to
resort to sex selection.” [

18.  Government has adopted a multi-pronged
strategy entailing schemes, programmes, and
awareness generation/advocacy measures, to
build a positive environment to save and protect
the girl child through gender sensitive policies,
provision and legislation.
Further, under the National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM) and within its umbrella the Reproductive.
and Child HealthProgramme, many interventions
have been launched to improve sex ratio.
The measures include the following:-

19.  For prohibition of sex selection, before and
after conception, and for regulation of
prenatal diagnostic techniques, the
Government has enacted a comprehensive
legislation, the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal
Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex
Selection) Act in 1994. It was further amended
in 2003.

20.  Son preference in countries like India results in higher female
infant mortality rates and differentially lower access to health
care and education for girls than for boys. We use a nationally
representative survey of Indian households (NFHS-3) to conduct
the first study that analyzes whether son preference is associated
with girls bearing a larger burden of housework than boys.
Housework is a non-negligible part of child labour in which
around 60% of children in our sample are engaged. The
preference for male offspring is measured by a mother's ideal
proportion of sons among her offspring. We show that when the
ideal proportion increases from 0 to 1, the gap in the time spent
on weekly housework for an average girl compared to that of
boy increases by 2.5 hours. We conduct several robustness
analyses. First, we estimate the main model separately by caste,
religion and family size. Second, we use a two-stage model to
look at participation into housework (as well as other types of
work) in addition to hours. Third, we use mother's fertility intentions
as an alternative measure of son preference. The analysis
confirms that stated differences in male-preference translate in
de facto differences in girl's treatment.