Mr. Nunes, Thanks for the PLoS One paper, and for this good discussion. Please note that the discrepancy in the sex ratio numbers is because of the difference in the exact type of measurement, as I had implied earlier - sex ratio in the entire population according to the 2001 census, which is what I had given, versus sex ratio at birth in 2005 and prior years, which is what is given in the PLoS One paper. There is no government manipulation there. Incidentally, there is some confusion about the reporting of the sex ratio in the 2011 census by the popular press. According to the raw census data, the ratio is supposed to be 940 females for every 1000 males, or a male:female ratio of 1.063. The popular press, however, is misreporting 940 as 914.
Regarding the plight of women and the problem of female feticide and infanticide, of course, I agree that they are an outrage. But there are no easy solutions. As the PLoS One survey itself indicates neither laws nor religious strictures have made any difference. Cheers, Santosh --- On Mon, 7/4/11, lyrawmn <lyra...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > Dr. Helekar, > > I am skeptical of your referenced sex ratio of India (1.08) > and (China (1.21). > Governments are known to skew embarrassing census data by > under- or misreporting statistics, or misclassifying. > After all female - infanticide and feticide - are morally > repugnant. > > I refer you to this PLOS article (May 2008) where the study > authors found a sex differential not in keeping with the > figures you quoted, and concluded that the Pre-natal > Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) > (PNDT) Act of 1994 which made antenatal sex determination > and sex selective abortion illegal in India, was > ineffectual. > > 'Missing Girls in India: Infanticide, Feticide and > Made-to-Order Pregnancies? Insights from Hospital-Based > Sex-Ratio-at-Birth over the Last Century'. > Mohit Sahni1, Neeraj Verma1, D. Narula1, Raji Mathew > Varghese1, V. Sreenivas2, Jacob M. Puliyel1* > 1 Department of Neonatology and Pediatrics, St. > Stephens Hospital, Delhi, India, 2 Department of > Biostatistics, All India Institute of Medical Science, New > Delhi, India > > > > http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0002224 > > In Indian society which is still mainly rural and > agrarian, where women are marginalised - viewed as a > liability, a drain on the family assets - would not having > been born be merciful and compassionate a fate than having > to endure in later life being trafficked and sold into > prostitution, subjected to domestic violence, burnt and > killed for dowry? > > India reports about 8,000 dowry deaths a year – an > underestimate. This despite the 1961 Dowry Prohibition Act. > > > > I think you will agree that until the role of women in > Indian society changes violence against them will continue. > > Best, > I. Nunes >
