Asia: A preference for boys is causing massive headaches in India and China

PALWAL, India--More than 10 clinics and pharmacies line a 200-meter stretch of what is known as "hospital street" here. One clinic stands out from the rest: It is closed.
A sign outside reads, "X-ray, ultrasound (diagnosis)."

Neighbors of this town in Haryana state, northern India, are reluctant to discuss the closure, which happened about a year ago.

But finally, a resident spills the beans.

"Everyone knows what was going on there. They don't want to talk about it because they know the clinic provided illegal services," says the man, who asked not to be named.
In March last year, the doctor there was handed a two-year prison term for violating a law that bans prenatal diagnosis with ultrasonography to learn the sexes of unborn children.

The clinic opened about 10 years ago. It charged 350 rupees (about 950 yen) for an ultrasound scan to observe the fetus. For an additional 1,000 rupees, expecting parents could see the sex of the fetus. For gender diagnosis, the clinic attracted pregnant women not only from within the town but also from surrounding villages.

The doctor was eventually arrested in a sting operation in which a pregnant woman was actually an undercover agent.

"He must have been seduced by the money," said an obstetrician who practices near the arrested doctor's clinic.

"I, too, am often asked by my patients to tell them their children's sex before birth. But I can't do so because I'm afraid that authorities might hide a camera on them," the doctor said.

India, like China, now has a lopsided number of males, especially among the younger generations.

Within the two countries, which have a combined population of 2.4 billion--more than one-third the world's population--people traditionally prefer boys to girls.

According to a national census in 2001, the number of girls aged 6 or younger in India was 927 against 1,000 male counterparts, a sharp decrease from 962 in 1981. The sex ratio is even more disproportionate in Haryana and neighboring Punjab state with 820 and 793 girls against 1,000 boys, respectively.

The expanding imbalance coincided with the introduction and spread of ultrasonography over the past 20 years. Prenatal tests often result in abortions.

It turns out that the Hindu custom for a bride's family to provide a dowry at the time of marriage is largely to blame for the trend.

So says Mary John, director of the Center for Women's Development Studies in New Delhi. She explains that the practice of bestowing dowries is strong in Punjab, a traditionally wealthy state, compared to other areas. This stems from a decision in the 19th century, when India was under British colonial rule, to raise taxes in Punjab. As a result, Indian families tried to get large dowries for the payment of taxes.

In India, boys are preferred because they are expected to succeed as head of the household and, thus, take on the responsibilities for their parents. As the average number of children per woman in India decreased from 5.2 in 1971 to 2.9 in 2004, parents increasingly wanted baby boys.

The law prohibiting prenatal diagnosis of a fetus' sex came into force in 1996. Yet, only the doctor in Palwal has gone to prison. Prosecutors say it is hard to hand down indictments because of difficulties in gathering evidence. They cite an absence of confessions among doctors and pregnant women.

In February, the Ministry of Women and Child Development announced that the government would take care of any unwanted babies that were left on beds in local government offices.

The measure is similar to the "baby box" system that was recently introduced in a Japanese hospital.

"People want to have boys because they feel anxious about their future in spite of the growing economy," John said.

She said she believed the government should improve social security for the elderly so they don't have to depend on their sons in old age.
China, the world's other rapidly growing major economic power, is experiencing similar problems.

In January, Zhang Weiqing, director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China, expressed a sense of crisis as he reported on the issue.
"The disproportionate sex ratio among newborns remains unsolved," he said. "It could lead to potential social unrest."

The ratio of boys to girls born in 2005 was 1.186 to 1. The figure far exceeds the 1.085 of the early 1980s. The "normal" sex ratio is supposedly 1.03-1.07.
At this rate, it is expected that in 2020 the number of men aged between 20 and 45 will exceed women by 30 million.

In farming villages, home to 750 million Chinese, the preference for boys to girls is deep-rooted. Just like in India, people in these areas want to have boys, who can take over the workload and, eventually, the duties of running the household.

There seems to be no end to incidents in which parents abandon newly born girls. A newspaper headline read, "Wolfish parents discard a baby girl on street (in Jiangsu province)." Another newspaper headline read, "Baby girl was found almost dead in a garbage bag (in Guangdong province)."

The one-child policy that was implemented in 1979 allows parents in farming areas to have two children if their first child is a girl. The problem is that the social security system for the elderly has not improved to the point where retirees can survive without a son's financial support. People continue to want baby boys, and the spread of ultrasonography has promoted the trend.

Some local governments, such as the one in Nanchang county in Jiangxi province, southern China, are trying to rectify the imbalance using unusual measures.

Wei Chunlan, 44, lives with her husband in the village of Hupo. Their two daughters go to universities. At the entrance of the family's house is a signboard that says, "A family with two daughters started seedling cultivation with a loan of 30,000 yuan (450,000 yen), earning 27,000 yuan a year." The sentence is written in golden letters.

Wei started raising seedlings in 2005 using a low-interest loan and technical guidance from the local government. Her annual income has doubled and is likely to increase further next year. Thanks to her successful business, her husband stopped working at construction sites in other provinces.

"I used to feel shame as I could not give birth to baby boys. So I could not walk in the village with my face up. But now, I am proud of my daughters who are studying at universities," Wei said.

This loan program is an attempt by the county government to "let people rid themselves of the idea of preferring boys to girls" by showing off the success of parents who have only daughters, said a local government official.

Since 2000, Beijing has started extending support to parents with only daughters. For example, it makes sure that more girls pass entrance examinations. It has also established scholarship programs for girls and provides financial assistance for their aging parents.

In principle, the government does not allow doctors to inform parents of the sex of their unborn baby. Abortions have also been officially discouraged. The government also has cracked down on clinics that provide the illegal medical services.

At the nationwide level, the efforts have achieved positive results.

Between 2001 and 2005, the number of boys born in Nanchang county was higher than that of girls by 32 percent on average. But the figure decreased to around 10 percent between January and March in 2006, local government officials said.

As a result of the government's one-child policy and other measures, the number of children born per woman dropped from 5.8 in the 1970s to 1.8 at present. Meanwhile, the number of one-child families exceeded 90 million.

Government officials boast that the one-child policy has succeeded in curbing the total population of China by 400 million. However, the policy has also promoted an aging society and rapid distortion of the country's sex ratio.

The slogan that now stands out in farming areas is: "Giving a birth to a baby girl is as good as giving a birth to a baby boy. A girl can be an heir, too."

The slogan shows how serious the current situation is.

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Keiko Yoshioka in Beijing contributed to this article.(IHT/Asahi: June 21,2007)
06/21/2007
BY TETSUO KOGURE　THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
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*DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What do you think about the preference for boys over girls in these cultures?

History shows that many countries, including the US and Britain, had similar laws for a long time. Only a man could inherit property, and the family of a woman had to provide a dowry to the husband’s family for taking on the burden of their daughter. What do you think needs to happen in China and India to thwart this disturbing trend?

Do you agree with the law that forbids sharing gender information with expectant parents?

*REMEMBER TO BE RESPECTFUL
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