1. Adverse Child Sex Ratios Challenges for Development International Workshop on Feminist Economics in China and India Mary E John

2. The Adverse Child Sex Ratio Does the story begin with Amartya Sen? Colonial north west India and female infanticide 1970s: Demographers discover long term declines in overall sex ratios; correlated with poverty, low health and work patterns Women’s organisations and health activists discover abuse of amniocentesis testing for foetal abnormalities in 1982

3. The 1990s Joint activism by women and health groups results in first legislation against sex determination testing in Maharashtra in 1986 1991 Census data show a decline in both overall sex ratio to 927 and CSR (0-6) 945 But north-western states CSR around 900 National law to regulate pre-natal diagnostic techniques (PNDT Act) 1994

4. A new moment: 2001 Census For the first time national CSR drops to 927, below overall sex ratio (indeed overall sex ratio registers a small improvement to 933) Huge drops in states in north west India and especially in urban areas Wide scale adoption of sex selective abortion especially through ultrasound Also high rates of female child mortality in selective areas

5. Uneven regional patterns “Prosperity Effect” Correlations of high education, lower fertility with skewed child sex ratios Two child norm Impunity of Medical Establishment Problems

6. Responses State: PCPNDT Act (revised) in 2004 Various states launch Schemes for the “girl child” Religious and caste organisations now join the fray, given very low CSRs among Sikhs and Hindus New researches both macro and micro NGO campaigns International focus

7. Planning Families, Planning Gender Study conducted by a team of researchers in low CSR districts in PU, HA, HP, RA, MP In depth analyses of contextual factors at work in these diverse contexts Ranging from poverty to affluence Low CSRs especially among some groups and sites But not specific to particular castes and classes

8. Patterns of low CSR Diverse patterns Sex selection most prevalent and growing High female child mortality in pockets Cases of infanticide

9. Social Indicators Widespread schooling for girls Higher education in Pu, Hp, Ha, where girls even outnumber boys Low work participation rates overall Invisibility of women’s work Rising ages at marriage – 16 in MP and 21 in HP

10. Fertility Patterns Stated preferences “one boy, one girl”, weak in MP strong in HP Fertility declines everywhere to different degrees Revealed preferences: growing proportion of families with one boy, one girl; but also two boys, two boys, one girl…

11. Fertility (contd.) Tiny proportion of families willing to have only girls One son norm among families in Punjab “At least one son, at most one daughter” Not just son preference Daughter aversion

12. Why? Intergenerational transfer of resources New ‘costs’ of having a daughter with economic growth Education, health, care till adulthood Anxieties over daughter’s sexuality Marriage remains the compulsory institution

13. Problems and differences Aggressive use of technology by medical establishment locally and globally, ever newer technologies Shortage of “women” and “bare branches” Traditional and/or new forms of gender discrimination Ethics and language of choice Sex selection and the right to abortion

14. 2011 Predictions and speculations about Census 2011 A turnaround or peaking of the practice? Or even more rampant effects of son preference and daughter aversion?

15. CHILD SEX RATIOS (0-6 years), NORTH-WESTERN REGION Census 1991, 2001 and 2011, Females per 1000 Males, Select States State19912001 CHANGE 2001-1991 2011 CHANGE 2011-2001 Himachal951896-55906+10 Punjab875798-77846+48 Haryana879819-60830+11 Chandigarh899845-46867+ 22 Delhi915886-49888+ 2

16. CHILD SEX RATIOS (0-6 years), REGION-WISE Census 1991, 2001 and 2011, Females per 1000 Males, Select States RegionStates19912001 CHANGE 2001-1991 2011 CHANGE 2011-2001 NORTH CENTRAL Uttar Pradesh928916-12899-17 Madhya Pradesh952932-20912-20 WEST Gujarat928883-45886+3 Rajasthan916909-7883-16 Maharashtra946913-33883-30 Goa964938-26920-18 EAST Bihar959942-17933-9 JharkhandNA965943-22 West Bengal967960-7950-10 Nagaland993964-29944-20 Orissa967953-14934-19 SOUTH Andhra Pradesh975961-14943-18 Karnataka960946-14943-3 Tamil Nadu948942-6946+4 Kerala958960+2959