THE ISSUE
Female gendercide is predominantly prevalent in South and East Asian countries, particularly India and China, which are two of the world's most populous countries. It is also seen in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cyprus, and Qatar; in Albania and Liechtenstein in Eastern Europe; the post-Soviet countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; as well as countries on the African continent including Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The problem has insidiously infiltrated to the western nations of the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States because global immigration has brought cultural preferences for a male child across the globe.
Christophe Z. Guilmoto and Sébastien Oliveau, “Sex ratio imbalances among children at micro-level: China and India compared,” paper presented at Population Association of America 2007 annual meeting. Based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China (2003) and the 2006 Indian census.
SEX RATIOS
Sex Ratios at Birth
Female gendercide can be viewed from the lens of sex ratios at birth (SRB). This is the number of boys born versus the number of girls born in a given period. The norm is about 105 boys to every 100 girls according to the WHO. However, in many Asian countries, the SRB's have climbed as high as 120 boys per 100 girls indicating that sex selective abortions are taking place regularly. Unnaturally high SRB's are also being noted in Eastern Europe and among 2nd and 3rd born children in some cultural communities in the UK, Canada, and the US.
Male Female Sex Ratios
Female gendercide can also be viewed from the lens of male to female sex ratios in society. In many countries, patriarchy, poverty, government policies, and cultural preferences have led to girls being eliminated in favor of boys. This has led to declining numbers of females. Sex ratios have fallen as low as 850 girls for 1000 boys in India and China where the effects show up most starkly because of huge populations—there is a serious female deficit and almost 80 million extra men. Skewed sex ratios are also being seen in many other countries due to gendercide.