It is very sad to say that we are living in the 21st century and the advanced world, but still our thinking is very old about females. When the first child is born as a girl in the family, we accept it quite happily and start thinking about who will come next – a girl or a boy. This thought provokes one to identify a girl or a boy in pregnancy. The ultrasound scan is used to determine male or female anatomy. If the next new baby is a boy, then it is okay; otherwise, people may attempt to kill this fetus inside the womb during the first trimester. This is the main reason for female foeticide. Female foeticide occurs before birth, and Female infanticide happens after birth.
Thousands of girls are aborted after knowing their child’s sex, and it is the main cause of female foeticide and imbalance in the sex ratio. Asian and developing countries are ahead in female foeticide as compared to the developed countries.
The sex ratio at birth refers to the number of boys born for every 100 girls. A slightly higher number of boys is biologically normal. In Asian countries and some small countries in North America and Europe, the sex ratio is low compared to other continents.
Sex Ratio of Top 15 Countries at Birth Around the World:
| Ranking | Name of the Nation | Boys per 100 girls |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liechtenstein | 116 boys / 100 girls |
| 2 | Northern Mariana Islands (US) | 115 boys / 100 girls |
| 3 | Azerbaijan | 111 boys / 100 girls |
| 4 | Vietnam | 111 boys / 100 girls |
| 5 | China | 110 boys / 100 girls |
| 6 | Armenia | 108 boys / 100 girls |
| 7 | North Macedonia | 108 boys / 100 girls |
| 8 | Uzbekistan | 108 boys / 100 girls |
| 9 | Philippines | 108 boys / 100 girls |
| 10 | India | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| 11 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| 12 | Kosovo | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| 13 | Albania | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| 14 | Georgia | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| 15 | Montenegro | 107 boys / 100 girls |
| Source: World Bank — Sex ratio at birth (male births per female births), based on United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision. | ||
Causes of Female Foeticide
However, there are many causes of female foeticide according to their regions, religions, and communities, but the following are the main reasons for female foeticide:
1. Boy Preference
The first and vital cause is “a boy is the status symbol in our society”. We think he will expand our family, earn good money, be a man is strong man physically & emotionally, and he can better take care of his parents till the end. The desire for a boy is the main cause of female foeticide. In many cases, parents give birth to many girls or kill them in the womb till then a boy is born.
2. A Girl cannot continue the family lineage
Most people think girls cannot proceed with their father’s family lineage because girls will have to go to their in-laws’ family after marriage. Parents’ families will end after her marriage, and no one will be there for the parents’ care. But that all seems wrong. Most girls love their parents more than boys. They are always with their parents in joy and sorrow.
3. Misuse of Ultrasound Technology
An ultrasound scanning machine gives a lot of useful information about the early foetal growth during pregnancy. Unfortunately, many IVF specialists misuse Ultrasound scan technology to check the baby’s sex, which is against the law and nature. Many ultrasound test centers charge a lot of money to scan fetuses just to identify whether this is a boy or a girl. If they find it is a girl, then some parents go for an abortion. This is a terrible crime and evil thinking.
4. Girls are not safe (Eve Teasing)
Our society is also responsible for girls being killed in the womb. Boys tease the girls when they find them alone or even in public places. They make bad comments about their dresses, character, sexual harassment, acid throwing, and dating abuse. That’s why parents are afraid to send girls outside the home, school, college, and other cities.
5. Marriage Expenses (Dowry System)
We have been following this evil tradition for the past 100 years. Parents start thinking about her marriage from the day she is born. They have started gathering things and money for her marriage, not for education and good living facilities for their girl. Dowry is a big burden on our society. Dowry is also a major cause of the deaths who are newly married and murdered by continuous harassment and torture by husbands or in-laws’ families. Dowry deaths are found in India, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran. Hundreds of women are killed every day in the world just due to the Dowry System. We need to break this tradition to save lives and reduce the extra wedding expenses.
6. Raped or Sexual Harassment
A United Nations Rape statistical report shows that “250,000 cases of rape or attempted rape were recorded by police annually”. Many females are afraid to report this crime because of the importance of family reputation in society. Thousands of women are raped every day in the world, and many of them are killed. This is also the biggest cause of female foeticide.
7. A Girl is not as Strong as a Boy
We feel girls cannot do the work as well as boys can; they can’t join the army and police, girls cannot do heavy-duty jobs, become Catholic priests, drive buses & trucks, and professional pilots. But girls have reached all these places nowadays. They can perform any task. We just need to give them a chance to show their ability. Women already serve in the military, police, aviation, transportation, and many physically demanding occupations.
8. Gender Discrimination
Until we stop boy-and-girl gender discrimination, this girl-killing crime is not going to stop. We need to treat and provide equal rights to girls not only at home but also in public places, offices, and educational institutes.
9. Lack of Education
The female Foeticide ratio is higher in countries or regions where the illiteracy rate is high, lack of education and knowledge. People are still living with traditional thoughts and culture, which is anti-women. Most of the women are still at home and busy with household work, and the reason behind it we think women are just for housework. She does not require education or work skills.
10. Corruption in the Medical Field
The medical profession was once an honest and respected field of work, but today it is corrupt at every level. Corruption is also a major factor in the rise of female foeticide. Doctors charge a lot of money to check a baby’s gender using an ultrasound scan and then perform an abortion. The doctor and other medical staff need to do their work honestly and follow the legal acts.
What Steps Should We Take To Stop Female Foeticide?
After reading the causes of female foeticide, below are a few suggestions to stop female foeticide.
1. Change Thinking: Save Girl
Yes, the first thing we need to do is change people’s thinking who think girls cannot change the world. We should not forget “a man takes birth from a woman”. So a female can do all the things that a man can do perfectly. Our mothers also need to take a step forward and report to their husbands or any in-law family member who says about fetal abortion due to a girl in the womb. Need girls to be nursed the same as we do for boys and train them for life challenges and careers, not just for housewives and baby-makers.
2. Strong Law
Need to make strong & strict, world-level laws so that everybody thinks about the punishment before committing this vital crime. We need to take strong action against doctors, labs, and hospitals where scans and abortions are done due to a girl in the womb.
3. Non-Gender-Revealing Ultrasound Machines
Our UltraSound machine maker should create an innovative technology that does not show the fetus’s gender during an ultrasound. I think Ultrasound is the only way to find the fetus’s sex in the womb. So, if possible, as techniques have advanced due to artificial intelligence and other tech.
4. Public Awareness Programs
Govt or we need to spread awareness and education in our society about this inequality. We should include female foeticide topics in school and college syllabi, organize regular events in rural and urban regions, use technology to spread awareness, make girls feel safe, kill the dowry system, and address any other cause that is responsible for female foeticide.
5. Equal preference
The main causes of female feticide are our society and parents giving more preference to sons. So we also need to remove this thought and give equal preference to daughters and sons. A daughter loves her parents more than a boy and always stands with them in joy and sorrow.
In the end, boys and girls are important in a family. Both take birth in the world to make a new world. We should focus on their future, lives, and education, not gender. Always remember one thing: “A Man Alone cannot expend a Family Without a Woman”.
Please send your opinion below in the comments. Also, share this article with other people to spread awareness about female foeticide.
Female foeticide law needs to implement more forcefully. People also need to change their thoughts about girls.
Thanks for raising female foeticide causes. I think most of time your family force you for doing this crime. A mother never want that she do it. The education also matter.
You pick the real causes of female foeticide. The desire of the boy is the main reason for it. Many people do it, slowly but I think people now started realizing this mistake, as a result, low rate of female feticide in the last few years.