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Wednesday, August 01, 2007Throughout human history, demographers tell us, nature has provided about 105 male births for every 100 females. This “sex ratio at birth”—stable across generations and ethnic boundaries—may range from 103 to as high as 106 boys for every 100 girls. In only one generation, that ratio has come unglued. A Chinese census reports ratios as high as 120–136 boys born for every 100 girls; in Taiwan, ratios of 119 boys to 100 girls; in Singapore 118 boys per 100 girls; South Korea 112 boys per 100 girls; and in India, where the practice was outlawed in 1994, the ratio continues to exceed 120 boys for every 100 girls in some areas. Countries such as Greece, Luxembourg, El Salvador, the Philippines, Cape Verde, and Egypt, even among some ethnic groups in the United States (Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino), are showing the same deadly discrimination against daughters. ...Over the last generation, the world has witnessed a drive toward smaller families, and this is directly related to sex selection. With fewer children, the sex of each child matters more. Analysis by Nicholas Eberstadt shows that, in India, each child after the first is increasingly unwanted, such that, with the second child, the desirability of girls to boys is 16% to 40%. By the fourth pregnancy, a girl’s desirability is a sad 9%, compared with 75% in favor of a boy. With these odds, and with cheap sonogram technology and easy access to abortion, is it any wonder India reports that 300,000 to 500,000 girls go “missing” every year due to infanticide and abortion? In China, at least half of all second or higher-order female pregnancies are terminated owing to sex. The most recent Chinese census shows a sex ratio of 150 boys for 100 girls in subsequent pregnancies. Hence, the fertility-reduction imperative drives the culling of girls. You often hear people say how much easier sons are than daughters. Could the same thing happen here? posted by Sydney on 8/01/2007 10:34:00 PM 4 comments 4 Comments:Wow, that's a tough thing to read. Kinda funny when women actually take more time off to support their family statistically. Wonder what they'll be thinking in old age. By 11:14 AM , atMy understanding is that in the United States, girls are actually slightly more preferred than boys. We are a different culture that values women more. By 9:55 PM , at
But women never use abortion for birth control. Never. By 11:14 AM , atIn 20 years, when 1/4 of young Chinese men can't find a marriage partner, will women come to be valued more? By 2:10 PM , at |
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