Female Infanticide and Foeticide

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Female Infanticide and Foeticide

It is regrettable that female infanticide and foeticide are rapidly decreasing the female population throughout India. The main factors that is responsible for the increase in the incidence of female infanticide and foeticide is the low status of women, son preference, and the practice of dowry across all casts groups.

The low status of women and girls is due to cultural beliefs and the material cost they represent to their families. Vanaja Dhruvarajan says that there is a belief regarding the nature of men and women: "Men are ritually pure, physically strong, and emotionally mature; women, on the other hand, are ritually pollutable, physically weak, and lack strong willpower" (30). Because of these beliefs parents are unwilling to invest time in daughter health and education. This results in bad health, insufficient awareness, low income, low self-esteem and low status. Also, when the food is distributed within the family, the male members get the most priority than women. When food supply is short, the mother and the daughter will have to do the sacrifice and starve. In general, women are expected to be self-sacrificing. In most circumstances, women get the least priority in nutrition and health care compared to men: "In Uttar Pradesh (state), it is usual for girls and women to earn less than men and boys. Also, the survival chance for male children is greater than female children" (case study: female infanticide and foeticide). When comes to education, sons are mostly favoured and girls are sacrificed. Vanaja Dhruvarajan says that in people's minds having the girl child is like watering somebody else's plant: "Nourishment of the seedling takes place in the parental home whereas th...

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...ide cannot be resolved easily because it involve cultural, economical and social factor. Gender discrimination starts from birth or even before birth of the child itself. Females of all age face gross neglect by the society throughout their lives. The birth of a child is considered to be a debt to be paid in the future, whereas boys are considered as support at the old age. Therefore, to exempt themselves from the burden of debt and to avoid rearing the girl child, people prefer to abort the foetus in the very beginning or kill the baby after they were born.

Works Cited:

Dhruvarajan, Vanaja. Hindu Women and The Power of Ideology. Granby: Bergin and

Garvey Publishers. Inc, 1998.

"Case Study: Female Infanticide and Foeticide." Apr.,2005 < www.gendercide.org/case_

infanticide.html >.

Subramania, Lalitha. Telephone interview. 12 Mar. 2005.

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