Female Foeticide – A Sociological Perspective

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:35 am

Female infanticide is not uncommon in Indian society, and is still prevalent in certain parts of the country. With the advancement of modern technology it\'s practice, however, has taken a different shape. Now it is possible to detect the sex of the baby when it is still in the womb of the mother. This has made it possible to abort the female foetus, if it is unwanted. The most commonly used sex determination test is amniocentesis. Discovered primarily for the detection of foetal malformations, it has, over the years, been used to determine the sex of the foetus. In India, since 1978, the test is being used as a sex determination or sex preselection test. Since then, the test has become extremely popular and has led to a mushrooming of private clinics, which perform the test, all over the country. The seriousness and social implications of this practice were realised only in 1986.
 
 
The extent of the problem in Bombay and its suburbs was brought out by a survey which showed that 84 percent of the gynecologists were performing about 270 amniocentesis tests per month. Only five percent of the tests were being done for detecting foetal malformation, while the remaining-as many as 95 percent were being carried out for sex determination and subsequent abortion if the foetus was found to be female. Some medical practitioners had been performing the test for the last 10-12 years.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 11:45 am

It\'s such a disgrace! The most shocking aspect is that this is found to be happening more in urban India.
 
I cannot digest the fact that even educated people are involved in this crime. How can you do such a thing? And how come women are involed in such acts. Don\'t they realise they are trying to wipe out their own identity? I am not just blaming women but the whole system. In India it\'s still regarded as a burden to have a girl child.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 12:37 pm

These are real case studies. A few case studies conducted to obtain a better insight into the problem are described below.
 
 
Case 1:
 
Mrs. A from Jalandhar district was married in Chandigarh. Both the husband and wife are highly educated (post-graduates). The husband earns a salary of Rs.4,000 per month. At present they live in a joint family consisting of the father-in-law, the mother-in-law and the brother-in-law. The brother-in-law has a 13 year-old only son. All the members are highly qualified - one of the brothers-in-law and his wife are doctors and live separately.
 
 
Mrs. A has one daughter. She conceived a second time after keeping a conscious spacing of three years. In the fifth month of pregnancy, she went for amniocentesis and found the foetus to be a female. She did not reveal this to her in-laws but secretly, with her husband\'s consent, she underwent an abortion. The researcher was able to contact her before the event, and found Mrs. A to be depressed and pale with fear and the guilt of having conceived a daughter. Sobbing, she sat that she was ashamed of having a female foetus. While her husband did not mind having a daughter again, she herself wanted to have only two children and to earn the respect of the family she presumed that it is important to have a son. What a dilemma!
 
 
Case 2:
 
Mrs. N, from. Ropar, went to Chandigarh to get an amniocentesis test done. Her husband is a postgraduate businessman, earning around Rs. 5,000/- per month, and she, though a postgraduate, is a non-working woman. She already has two daughters. After receiving the report confirming a male foetus, the couple was very happy. The overjoyed husband assured his wife that if need be, he would donate blood at the time of her delivery!
 
 
Case 3:
 
Mrs. L is a matriculate housewife whose husband works as a law officer, earning RS. 4000-5000/- per month. The family is nuclear with two daughters. Mrs. L has a history two female foeticides. Mrs. L faced a number of health problems due to the tests and the subsequent abortions. However, to her satisfaction, the third time, revealed a male foetus. The discussion with the couple made it clear that both of them considered a son a social as well as an economic necessity of the family in today\'s society. Mrs. L says, \"to have a son is as essential as taking food at least once a day\".
 
 
Case 4:
 
Mrs. P is an Army Officer\'s wife, a graduate from Chandigarh. She has undergone two abortions on the basis of amniocentesis tests and feels relieved that the doctor was able to determine the sex of the foetus in the first trimester of pregnancy. The couple agrees and has accepted that they cannot rely on their children for old age security. But because they consider a family of two children as a status symbol and think \"Ladke ka naa hona bura lagta hai\" (it is bad to not have a son), they favour female foeticide.
 
 
Case 5:
 
Mrs. R lives in a slum in Chandigarh. She has five daughters and is worried about their marriage, which is a costly affair in her community. She wants a son as an earning member and is not convinced that she and her daughters are also contributing to the family income by helping her husband in \'Moorha-making\'. Mrs. R wants to take an amniocentesis test and an abortion if necessary, if she could do so. She feels ashamed of going out in her community as she is looked down upon for not having a son.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 12:38 pm

It\'s hard to believe that I am living in the same society where these people are living!

by **neeraja** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 3:30 pm

Born Hyderabad... You have only come across abortion in the womb, but I have come across guresome incidents down south in Tamil Nadu, where there is no facility for scanning. After the child is born, if it\'s a girl they kill the infant either feeding with a poisionos plant juice called (erakum) or put a rice grain with husk on it, which cuts through the new born\'s oesophagus and causes instand death.
 
 
The barbarians need to be hanged in the hot sun like that of Rajastan until they have dried up completely. While I was in college, we tried our best through NCC/NSS camps to educate them but in vain.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 5:30 pm

I knew people were capable of doing it, but I did not actually hear such things happen. Thanks for updating me. You are right these, people deserve the most gruesome punishment possible. I applaud your effort during your college days, but don\'t give up hope. Everything and anything can be achieved. When people started movements against child marriage, sati, widow re-mariage they must have felt the same, but look now it\'s almost gone.

by **shaikh** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:13 pm

Hey guys,
 
In the pre-Islamic time the arabs were doing he same thing, but just as soon as they learnt the teachings, they changed completely.

by **Arch** » Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:35 pm

It enraged me all over again while I read ur postings, BH. Shame on humanity, on men and women, more so on the educated lot for practicing such filth. The naked fact: the dowry system. A daughter means all the work that is needed for the son to grow plus the savings for her dowry and the \'ji-huzur!hazir-hun-huzur!\' attitude towards the in-laws, whereas, the son fetches the amounts back that have been put to raise him and probably some more plus a lot of supposed respect/wealth/whatever from his wife\'s side!
 
And sadly, it is so from all the religions, though. Hey, you know what? It is not so from those of the families where the grandfather, the father, the brothers, the men folk- essentially respect their women folk JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN, the life-givers, the nurturers, the love of their lives, and those men who have self-worth and self-respect respect their women: the grand mother, the mother, the sisters, the wife, the daughter, the daughter-in-law... What say you all?

by **bull** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 4:03 pm

I agree with you Arch.
 
I am ashamed of this as well, I am not happy the way women are treated in the sub-continent, not only in our country.

by **Mayavi Morpheus** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 3:43 am

Recently, there was an article published in the Business Standard. Two wrongs make a right.
 
Case 1: Female foeticide led to a drastic change in female to male ratio in some of the Northern states. There are around 738 females per 1000 males in Rajasthan. Female foeticide increased in the late 70\'s with the introduction of scanning to determine child sex. Most of the children born during that time reached the marriage age and are not finding brides.
 
2. Dowry is a big problem in almost all of India. Poor families with more than two kids, especially girls cannot earn enough money to marry their daughters. So they look for grooms who are ready to marry their daughtrers without demanding dowry. This has led to inter-caste, inter-regional (if I can say) marriages. Well to do Grooms from Rajasthan and Gujarat are marrying these poor girls (they are also taking good care of the girls after marriage). Most of these gals are from impoverished areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. This year alone 17 gals of Vizag and neighbouring villages were married off to northern India grooms. All in all there were ~ 40 marriages in the past two years.
 
I hope more and more people follow this example. It helps us get rid of two social evils - Dowry and Female infanticide. But there is a word of caution. The shortage of gals may give raise to a new social evil - \"Kanyashulkam\" and parents may marry off young gals to old grooms.
 
 
PS: The AP police investigated all the marriages and found that the couples are happily married and the gals were not subjected to any torture or abuse and they are not being used as servants and child bearers.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 3:55 pm

That\'s a very good point you have raised. Dowry is one of the prime reasons why people shy away from having a female child.
 
But unfortunately that\'s not the only reason and if you see the case studies I have furnished, it\'s not just the poor and the illiterate but educated and people from well-off families are equally involved in this inhuman, disgraceful act.
 
Women themselves feel incomplete without having a male child and for various reasons come under pressure to be part of such gruesome acts. When a women in the form of a mother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunty, grandmother, mother... harbours such feeling that having a female child is inferior or burdensome, then God help them from this destruction.
 
I know it\'s a male dominated world and man has all the say in decision making, but in these matters I strongly believe women in one of the above said forms acts as active catalyst in infusing negative thoughts and perversions in the minds of men.
 
But still let us presume its only men in different forms that are pressurising them in doing such things. Can\'t they protest, for without their consent they (men) could not do much?

by **Arch** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 7:17 pm

Yes, what you say is totally true, BH, that of the women themselves looking down on women and not respecting each other much. More so in the form of in-laws.

by **Mayavi Morpheus** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:48 am

There is always a liking for the opposite sex. That is women want sons while men want daughters. There is nothing wrong in it. The reason why families insist on a male child in India is the Joint family and Khandan gaurav and shit like that. When females grow up thay are married off to another family and that is the reason why most families want a male child. They want to see the kids living with them. Once young couples start moving out after marriage, the problem will be solved.
 
Thats my understanding from my observation. I dunno how true it is.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Tue Sep 02, 2003 5:26 pm

I don\'t think young couples walking out of parents\' homes is the solution for this. You may come out of your house but you are still very much a part of society, where you will meet innumerable people who would influence you. I gave examples of women taking such decisions under no influence. What are you going to do about it?
 
I know society and men play a very vital role in this scenerio but I think the biggest contributer could be the women in bringing about the change here.
 
I would like to describe how, father and mother are equally responsible in grooming a child to be a better individuals but more probably it\'s found that it\'s the mother who plays a more active role in this. I have seen boys pampered by mothers and girls thought to be obedient and expected to learn all skills, whereas boys are spoon-fed at all stages. This kind of upbringing is the breeding ground for such feelings - like girls are inferior and boys are superior. These feelings grow stronger as the child grows and take the shape of a strong belief. Boys start feeling its okay to do anything and girls start feeling sorry for everything. It\'s the mothers who can bring the changes if they desires so!

by **neeraja** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 1:00 pm

HI bornhyderabad. You have narrated a simple solution. Good. Marriage is nothing but a union of two families and not a business deal. If the would be husband is demanding dowry, why marry your girl to him? There are better eligible boys waiting to be married. Keep trying for a better alliance.
 
 
In no way girls are inferior to boys. Girls also ride the heavy bike bullet. I have seen in Hyderabad a girl riding elegelantly a bullet.
 
 
Female foeticide is a social crime. It\'s a homicide, needing to be punished.

by **shaikh** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 1:17 pm

Hey. Maybe this (on) bullet girl you saw is our Samata. Back in the US they are called biker-chicks. They are really heavy. (Any way these were just the kidding lines.)
 
 
But the question is why do you think that if girls can ride heavy bikes or fly boeing 747 they should not be asked for dowry? I am saying even a simple girl who could be just a homemaker at best or any female for that matter, educated or not, should be looked with respect and dignity.
 
And why should men be afraid of or impressed by flying or riding girls only?

by **bornhyderabadi** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 1:40 pm

HI Neeraja,
 
 
I fully agree with you with respect to marriage and dowry. When a person is seeking dowry it clearly reflects his personality/nature, even if his family is making this demand. He is very much hand in glove with this. Men take time and get married at their convience. Then what\'s the rush in getting girls married? I myself would never get my sister/daughter married in a rush to a worm of a person who is demanding dowry. I would rather make her self-sufficient and let her marry a person of her choice if she ever wants to get married. If she she does not feel so, its her decision and I will respect it. Anyway this is a different subject and a different prespective. I just wanted to present my 2 cents to it.

by **neeraja** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 2:22 pm

Hi shaikh!
 

 
Thanks for your reply, but tell me in the first place as to why a woman should buy a man by givng dowry? Men (hubbies) are valued at only a few lacs rupees and gold, are they?
 
 
Don\'t you think wedding is a union of two families and not a business deal? My hubby did not take a single paise from us and, infact, he shared the expenses for the wedding?
 
 
Don\'t we see so many gals even after 10 to 15 years of their married lives being burnt by their own husbands for want of more dowry? One shuold remember that it\'s the female who gives birth to a male after a struggle of 10 months. So, the woman is not the weaker sex, and women are definately superior to men. No one can deny that?

by **neeraja** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 2:29 pm

Sorry Shaik,
 
 
My previous discussion is not in line with yours. You may please ignore it.

by **a woman with pride to be a woman** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:32 pm

A HOMEMAKER\'S ROLE IS NOT SIMPLE. A woman, who choses to be a homemaker is a BOON to the enitre family. She takes out TIME to nurture and raise her family with love, care and patience with \'all the energy\' that is so very required for being in that role. She is a mother and a wife and a cook and a cleaner and a shopper and a day-care and a driver and a mom all over again and then a whole lot of a wife and a daughter-in-law and a neighbour and a daughter and a sister and...
 
It is an immense sacrifice that she makes to take up that role. She sacrifices her career, her financial independence, her yearn to learn more about her chosen career, her need to socialise among her peers, etc.
 
Hey, women! We can add to this list what all we do, juggling in between all these roles and THAT TOO with a beautiful smile

Oh, whoops, how did I forget the pregnancy and giving birth to her children? The sacrifices that she has to make to be pregnant! Physical and emotional changes and what else? To be carrying the child and nurturing the child from within. The process of the pain that she has to undergo to give her child that beautiful first breath, that beautiful first cry, the forgetting of such immense screaming pain at hearing those first cries of her baby...
 
A woman is a wonderful person to be and a wonderful person to have in a family, not to be hated so much that that little baby which cannot even cry in her defence, is killed! How ashamed am I of all those women, foremost! And then some more of shame on those of them for choosing female foeticide!

by **Mayavi Morpheus** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 2:06 am

Neatly put. But do you realize that this is precisely the reason for female foeticide and wanting male children?
 
You don\'t have to clean the house, you don\'t have to cook, you don\'t have to shop, you don\'t have to do any _ thing if you are a male.
 
Women realize this and that is why they want baby boys, \'cos they dont want to see their children going through the same pain that they went through.
 
Gee...

by **bornhyderabadi** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:11 pm

A woman who is proud to be a woman - that\'s exactly what we want from the present generation. I think it is due to lack of this pride and the fear of a life full of misery that women opt not to have a female child. But if they themselves were proud of being a woman then they would be prouder still to have a girl child.
 
We need more women like you and I am sure and hope with greater awareness we can crush this evil!

by **the woman with pride to be a woman** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 9:31 pm

Sorry MM, but then it is a pleasure to be the source of such care and such nurturing of your own family. I do not see a wife\'s/mother\'s role as something mean or cheap but a higher form of blessing that a family can have. This does not mean that I have less repect for the husband\'s/father\'s role in the same family. It is a different form of the role that a male plays. Both are beautifully moulded to one\'s natural instinct. We need to recognise that and respect it. My observation as of date.

by **bornhyderabadi** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 12:12 pm

That\'s right. One needs to go with one\'s natural instincts, and there\'s nothing like getting support for this. I appereciate your husband for being supportive enough, but there are innumerable others who don\'t get this kind of recognition. People here, which includes many women, feel that a woman\'s job (giving birth, taking care of their children, bringing them up to be good citizens...) is equal to the bread-earning effort of a man. When everyone realises that it\'s equal or has an even greater significance then the women will automatically get the status they need in this society.
 
 
I will quote an example here. I had Jewish neighbours in New Jersey. Both husband and wife were successful doctors. The husband was a surgeon and the wife was a very successful child specialist. Her income was in six figures, which is considered a very handsome one in the US. Once they decided to have children, she promptly resigned from her job and dedicated herself full-time to take care of her children. This was her very own concious decision and her husband fully supported her. This is the kind of recognition required for such acts for the betterment of family values and child upbringing. In India, most women do this by default and I am not sure how many realise it\'s signifance and give it its proper due!

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