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Susan May Watts

Publication Date

9-1-2024

Keywords

son preference, children, population, India, discrimination

Volume

2024

Abstract

Son preference, based on the belief that sons are more valuable than daughters, creates environments where girls are neglected and discriminated against all over the world. India has one of the strongest cultures of son preference, as evidenced by its abnormal sex ratio at birth (SRB) of 110 boys born for every 100 girls. Son preference in India is caused by cultural norms placing sons in positions of importance, as sons are tasked with performing funeral rites for parents, supporting parents financially, and taking care of their parents in their old age. Additionally, having daughters is a financial burden on parents as the cost of dowries was, on average, 3–8 times the average annual male’s income in the late 20th century. The main negative consequence of son preference is sex-selective abortion. Up to 1 million fetuses are sex-selectively aborted every year in India, 1 2 By Susan May Watts Published Fall 2024 Special thanks to the Ballard Brief Team for editing and research contributions. Issue Briefs About Contact which has created millions of missing women and girls in India’s population. After birth, girls experience discrimination in schooling and healthcare—girls in India are less educated and less likely to receive medical care and proper nutrients than their brothers. Research has found that more educated mothers are significantly less likely to prefer sons, so organizations promoting female education in India can help reduce son preference and sex-selective abortion.

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