The article discusses the unfavorable dynamics of sex ratio in various Indian states towards women and the factors that lead to this social crisis.

1. A Country Without Women: The
Truth Behind Wavering Sex Ratios
Across Indian States
-Priyanka Mittal

2. A world without women
• Misogynists may consider it their ideal place but coming to
its logical conclusion, it would amount to extinction of the
human race.
• One may think that this seems short-sighted and mankind
would be sensible enough to avoid such a scenario but over
the years, the thirst for a male child has led to countless
female foetuses being killed.
• In order to avoid spending lakhs for a daughter’s
wedding, parents seek a solution at birth itself – kill the baby
if it is a girl.

3. Sex ration, a shocking reality
• The immediate result of killing girl babies is a drop in the sex
ratio with the current figure being at 940 girls for every 1000
boys.
• Though there is a marginal improvement since 2001, this
cannot be taken as reason enough to celebrate as it differs
from region to region.
• According to Census 2011, Kerala and Puducherry are the
only two places in India where total female population is
higher than male population.
• The lowest sex ratio was recorded in Haryana.
• A healthy sex ratio remains in Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh and
Chattisgarh.

4. Shameful isn’t it
• As per popular belief of growth and economic progress going
hand in hand with progressive attitude towards women, few
Indian states have managed to bend this trend bringing much
shame and disgrace.
• Sex ratios in states like Delhi and Chandigarh are expected to
be higher than those of agrarian states.
• This has been invalidated with the figures of Delhi and
Chandigarh standing at 866 and 818 in comparison to Punjab
and Haryana which are at 893 and 877 respectively.
• New Delhi being the capital of the country and one of the
most developed states holds one of the lowest ratios of 866
females per 1000 males adding fodder to India’s shameful
story.

5. • It may be drawn that it is not the poorest and least literate
states that are killing off their infant girls as per popular
belief; in fact the reverse holds true.
• Nor is high literacy a good indicator: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
do far better than Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• These trends lead to the inescapable conclusion that growth
and development brings greater access to pre-natal sex
determination, and hence, worse sex ratios.

6. Trafficking!
• As a consequence of less number of females, polyandry
would rise with her being shared amongst several men in the
same household.
• There is also an emerging pattern of trafficking of girls to
areas where gender gaps are most acute.
• The trafficked women and girls are sexually exploited and
forced to give birth to a male child.

7. A step in the right direction!
• With the government passing the Pre-Natal Diagnostic
Techniques Act and Aamir Khan enthralling the nation by
exposing the ugly face of female foeticide, we seem to have
taken a step forward in this direction.
• Reflections of changing trends can be seen in tiny mirrors
where a sarpanch in a Rajasthan village has decided to
register police cases against women and families going for
tests to detect and abort the girl child.
• The key question is that when there are not enough women
to match the number of men – what then? This is a question
which deals with not anything that is yours or mine but
something that is ‘ours’; the future of us all.

8. • Read the detailed report on A Country Without Women: The
Truth Behind Wavering Sex Ratios Across Indian States on
http://bit.ly/M51wrT