At first sight, the title tends to put you off. It may be argued “unwanted daughters” is still a stark reality in modern India. The gender muddle continues to make a mockery of all expectations. One often wonders why as a nation we continue to agonise over the sex ratio imbalance, instead of just acting upon what has generally been a perceived reality for long.
A collection of 10 articles by knowledgeable people — among them sociologists, demographers, economists and gender specialists — the book provides a multi-disciplinary perspective to the increasing gender bias in contemporary India and the combination of economic, social, and cultural factors underlying the discrimination against daughters. It is by no means a wake-up call, but reiterates how advances in reproductive technologies have ushered in a silent consolidation of malpractices, and that sex ratio is not just a demographic index but reflects society's attitude towards women.
Now, couples are far more aware and willing to achieve the preferred family size and the desired sex composition of children. Sadly, education has hardly impacted traditional mindsets. Rather, technology and affluence have aggravated the problem as evidenced by the declining sex ratio — from 955 in 1921 to 933 in 2001.
More number of female foetuses get aborted and more number of baby-girls are victimised, in spite of the safeguards the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act and the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act are supposed to provide. The results of the 2001 Census of India focussed on ‘missing girls'. A decade later, with the headcount now in progress, the beam still tilts in favour of the perceived preference for sons. Or is it a deliberate discrimination against daughters?
Precarious situation
The book raises the pertinent question: why do girl children continue to be at risk despite progress in female literacy and growing participation of women in economic and political activities? It goes on to reaffirm the precarious situation of female children — before and at birth and during childhood — that has almost made it a sin to be born a girl in Indian society.
The contributors differ on the causes and implications of female deficit. But they are one in emphasising that a change in societal attitude towards girl children is the key to an enduring solution to this social epidemic.
Writing as a “concerned citizen”, former Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India P. Padmanabha says, in the foreword, that the real crisis has less to do with the system than with the people who run it, and wilfully subvert it. Where there is affirmative inaction, disgusting results are inescapable.
On most parameters that institutionalise discrimination there are enough data available. What is more important, according to him, is to morph their inter-relationships into “action points.” For new policy initiatives to emerge (in respect of parameters that influence sex ratio), the systems of administration and implementation need to be properly oriented.
Case studies from across the country have been used to highlight how Indian girls are caught between passion and independence, individual rationality and public good. The observations are not out of sync. Combining conservatism with a dose of liberal chuckle makes the book readable.
Editors T.V. Sekher and Neelambar Hatti have introduced a structural innovation in the book, which is otherwise permeated with perspectives that are palpably rural. It takes a compelling and insightful look at how sniggers-arousing policies have failed to impact the highly skewed sex ratio and the agenda to eradicate gender discrimination has been subsumed.
Remedies
There is no dearth of data; facts are known; and the implications are fully understood. Yet, the adverse sex ratio remains unmitigated. Why? Among the remedies suggested are: an effective legal framework; strict enforcement of laws; self-regulation by medical profession; a hard and close look at compulsory primary education and nutrition programmes; and a continuous review of their operational efficiency.
Going through the pages, I recalled the proverb: “Having a daughter is like watering a flower in the neighbour's garden.”
