PRESENTED BY: Jotinder Pal Singh Roll No.

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According to the Census of India, 2011, 7 million fewer girls were born among children 0-6 years of age. Prenatal sex determination coupled with sex selective abortions largely account for this skewed sex ratio in India.

The sex ratio is particularly low among couples whose first born is a daughter compared to couples who have a boy as their first born.

The low status of women and patriarchal values are intensifying this trend in India. Policymakers need to take into consideration the complex interplay of economics, religion, traditions, customs, and the inferior status of women among the highly diverse states in India in order to address this grave issue.

The latest Census of India (2011) revealed that the child sex ratio (number of girls per 1,000 boys among children in the age group 0-6 years old) is at its lowest since 1947, when India gained her independence. Indias skewed sex ratio and son preference (Kishor, 1993) have persisted since 1901 and have not eroded despite the tremendous economic strides India has made through liberalization and globalization (Miller, 1981; Arnold, Choe, and Roy, 1998).

OVERVIEW OF INDIA AND THE HETEROGENEITY OF THE INDIAN STATES

Son preference and the devaluation of girls may occur in countries that experience

low economic growth, high poverty rates, low literacy rates for both men and women, lack of opportunities for women in economic and social settings, and low gender status.

CAUSES OF SON PREFERENCE IN INDIA

One of the major causes of son preference in India is related to the perceived

economic utility of having sons. Compared to daughters, sons provide help in family farms and businesses, have better earnings prospects in the labor market, and provide for their parents during old age, although parental care by sons is waning, especially in urban India (Miller 1981; Bardhan, 1988; Basu, 1989; Dharmalingam, 1996).

SON PREFERENCE AND NEGLECT OF DAUGHTERS IN INDIA

A. Trends in Son Preference in India B. Neglect of female infants and girls in India C. Sex-selective abortions and fertility effects of son preference in India

IMPLICATIONS OF A SKEWED GENDER RATIO IN INDIA

Economic theory would predict that when there is a shortage of girls, the value or

worth of girls would increase socially and economically, all else equal. However, this has not happened in India. In some of the northern states in India The state of Haryana in north India has seen a drastic increase in prostitution, violence, and rapes against women in recent years (Singh and Mohan, 2005)

In India, discriminatory attitudes towards women have existed for generations and affects women over their lives. Although constitution of India has granted women equal rights but gender disparities remains.

There are limited opportunities for women to access resources such as education, health care services and job opportunities to women as they decide the future of India.

INFANCY TO CHILDHOOD
A decline in the sex ratio was observed with Indias 2011 census

reporting that it stands at 914 females against 1,000 males, drop from 927 in 2001 - the lowest since Indias independence. by the medical community through the provision of illegal service of fetal sex-determination and sex-selective abortion. activity seems to be far greater than the penalties associated with breaking the law.

The demand for sons among wealthy parents is being satisfied

The financial incentive for physicians to undertake this illegal

CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD (EDUCATION)

Education is not widely attained by the Indian women. Although

literacy rates are increasing, female literacy rates lags behind the male literacy rate.

ADULTHOOD AND ONWARDS

Discrimination against women has led to their lack of autonomy and authority. Although equal rights are given to women, it may not be well recognized. Women do not own property under their own names and usually do not have any inheritance rights to obtain a share of parental property.

CONSEQUENCES
Gender discrimination impedes growth; with lower female-to-male workers ratios

significantly reducing total output in both agricultural and non-agricultural sector. It is also estimated that growth in India would increase by 1.09% if its female laborparticipation rate were put on par with the US.

DISCRIMINATION TOWARD MAN

Although socially women have been at a disadvantage but the Indian laws highly

favor women. In most child custody cases the children are given to the wife.In most divorce cases mostly the child is given to the mother. There is no recognition of sexual molestation of men and rarely the police station lodge an First Information Report (FIR), man are considered the culprit by default even if it was the woman that committed sexual abuse against men.

Inequality in India is made particularly pervasive by the fact that Indias rigid social hierarchies are intertwined with longstanding quasi-religious principles. Notwithstanding the fact that equality, based on the intrinsic divinity of all beings, is a principle inherent to Hinduism,

India has long been defined by a strict system of social stratification legitimated by perceived cultural and religious principles Many industries remain de facto segregated by caste and gender.8 Prejudice often operates at a surface level, and a certain level of classification by social status is the norm rather than the exception

INDIAS APPROACH DISCRIMINATION

TO

EMPLOYMENT

The Indian government has primarily taken a substantive view of equality,

with formal equality principles selectively applied in certain cases.41 In line with this substantive emphasis, the focus of the governments efforts has been to compensate for and remedy existing social hierarchies.42 Substantive equality recognizes the existence of social classifications, and seeks to target those social structures that contribute to the subordination of historically disadvantaged groups.

THE LIMITATIONS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM

Although Indias primarily substantive approach to equality in employment rightly

recognizes the potential for perpetuation of existing hierarchies in the absence of special solicitude for the interests of the disadvantaged,55 the Indian approach has failed to generate the anticipated results. The shortcomings of the Indian approach lie in
(1) its limited reach, (2) the near abdication of responsibility by the legislative branch of government, and (3) the judiciarys seemingly incoherent superimposition of formal equality principles on a vision of substantive equality colored by regressive cultural norms.

CONCLUSION
Indias approach to substantive equality has only been modestly successful

in alleviating the deep-seated structural problems that facilitate discrimination in employment. The existing system addresses only isolated aspects of the problem because it primarily rests on a system of quotas that pertain only to the public sector and because it does not incorporate a comprehensive statutory scheme that addresses intended and unintended discrimination in its various forms and against a full range of disadvantaged groups.

RAPE IN INDIA: A RESULT OF SEX SELECTION

The horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year old

medical student in New Delhi may seem unrelated to fundamental demographic forces, but it isnt. The public outcry following the victims death from catastrophic internal injuries has rightly focused on calls to reform Indias criminal justice system.

GENDERCIDE STINGS
IN OCTOBER, 2012 Varsha Deshpande persuaded a

pregnant friend to travel eight hours to Aurangabad, a thriving, medium-sized city in the state of Maharashtra, for an ultrasound scan that she could have easily undergone in her hometown.

GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN INDIA WORSE THAN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA

Discrimination against women in India was higher than even the poorest

Sub-Saharan countries in Africa, said noted economist Prabhat Patnaik in Aligarh on Saturday. There were only 94 women per 100 men in India while in Sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio was 102 women per 100 men

SUGGESTIONS
NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL: IMPROVING THE SEX

RATIO AT BIRTH
The principal recommendation to the Government of India is to formulate a National Policy for Improving the Sex Ratio at Birth which can serve as a guide and template in the coming decades for multiple initiatives by the Central and State Governments, and by a range of civil society stakeholders.

Five major constituents of such a policy, as depicted

The dipping gender ratio can be addressed through better opportunities for women and social awareness. Today, India ranks 129 out of 146 countries on the Gender Inequality Index, worse than countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, and only better than Afghanistan in South Asia. Statistics such as these no longer surprise us. The prevalence of gender discrimination in the Indian society is widely discussed.

The Rajasthan government, in 1987, launched an initiative called the Shikshakarmi project that aimed to improve awareness and enrolment among women by offering women an opportunity to work as facilitators and teachers in the project.
There are many other such instances of both government and private agencies looking for innovative ways to address the issue of female emancipation.