The Spread of Sex Selection in India

British Colonial Policies and Female Infanticide

• DSS argue that British colonial policies intensified female infanticide.
• While this has already been well-documented, the pre-colonial practice of infanticide, especially among groups like the Rajputs, worsened under colonial rule due to land and revenue policies.
• Families, facing economic pressures, resorted to female infanticide to avoid the shame of having unmarried daughters with inadequate dowries.
• DSS failed to acknowledge that this cultural aspect of “pride and purse” was already part of Indian society.

Child Sex Ratios (CSRs)

• CSRs Over Time:
  • 1971: 964 girls per 1,000 boys
  • 1981: 962
  • 1991: 945
  • 2001: 927
  • 2011: 918
• Significant Decline: The most notable drop occurred after 1991, especially in states like Haryana and Punjab, where there was already a strong cultural preference for sons.

Misinterpretation of Sex Selection Technologies

• DSS incorrectly dates the spread of sex-selection technologies.
• Amniocentesis, introduced in 1975, was not widely used for sex selection.
• Widespread misuse began only with the advent of ultrasound technology in the 1980s, which was part of routine prenatal care.
• DSS also fails to mention that women’s organisations and health activists mobilised against sex determination, leading to a ban on such practices in government hospitals in 1978.
• Despite this, private practitioners continued the practice.

Influence of INGOs

• Population Control Measures: International NGOs (INGOs) promoted population control based on fears of overpopulation.
  • This focus often prioritised family planning over other health issues.
  • Organisations like the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation played significant roles in introducing sex determination technologies.
• Legal Bans and Poor Implementation: Legal bans on sex determination were first introduced in Maharashtra in 1986, followed by a national ban in 1994.
  • However, poor enforcement allowed the practice to continue due to collusion between private medical practitioners and government officials.

Cultural and Economic Drivers of Sex Selection

• Sex selection in India is driven by the desire for smaller families, the devaluation of daughters, and the economic constraints faced by families.
• Many families aim to have at least one son for economic security and may prefer only one daughter, which ties into the state’s two-child norm.
• These choices reflect the rapid social and economic changes shaping family decisions, not merely tradition or technology.

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