Gender-biased Sex Selection and Unbalanced Sex Ratios at Birth in South Asia: Case Studies of the Situation and Promising Approaches to Restore Balance.

Abstract

Sex ratios at birth in South Asia vary considerably. While the sex ratio at birth in Bangladesh and Pakistan, thus far, has been normal at country level (103 and 102.5 males per 100 females, respectively), Nepal is showing signs of disturbed sex ratios at birth, with a sex ratio of 106 males per 100 females, and the situation in India is particularly adverse, with a sex ratio at birth of 110 males per 100 females. In all of these countries, however, preconditions for a deterioration of the sex ratio at birth are evident. Preferences are expressed for small families, patriarchal social norms persist and societies tend to be gender-stratified with strong preferences for at least one son, and prenatal diagnostic techniques are widely available and used to monitor foetal development.