DEmystifying: Why Maharashtra’s Sex Ratio Saw A Decline While Haryana’s Saw A Rise

We have been criticizing Haryana for its low sex ratio since decades. I mean in all my school life, Haryana has been depicted as a misogynistic, male-dominated and judgmental little state.

But surprisingly the latest intel from a report based on the Civil Registration System under the Birth and Death Registration Act, the sex ratio at birth in Maharashtra has shown a sharp decline from 891 in 2015 to 838 in 2016 while Haryana’s sex ratio crossed 900 for the first time in last two decades. So why have the tables turned, now?

Sex Ratio & It’s Brief History In India

Sex Ratio is defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. In India, the sex ratio has been skewed ever since independence. 

The 2001 Census showed that there were 933 females to that of 1000 males while the Census 2011 did show a slight increase with revealing 940 females to that of 1000 males.

India’s low sex ratio is unarguably symbolic to the regressive mentality of its people. A huge number of cases of female infanticide, foeticide and honor killings have resulted in a society that can easily be labeled as a misogynist.

People have cultivated an environment where giving birth to a child calls for celebration only when the sex of the child is one that would make way for the already established patriarchy.

In India, we have very strict laws over prenatal sex determination, which is actually very surprising to a lot of foreign people. For them, prenatal testing isn’t anything more than just a test to know the sex of their child. Whereas in India, it is a way for people to know whether they are having a boy or an abortion.

Now, coming to the ulterior motive of this blog.

Why Is Sex Ratio Declining In Maharashtra?

Pragmatically speaking, the answer is just another case of division of attention. While Haryana has garnered a continuous attention for its rather terrible ‘women-hating’ image, Maharashtra was silently getting engulfed in the horrible scenic of a society craving for a male child. Haryana’s infamous image attracted several policies and promises from the government in matters concerning a girl child. The enforcement too was very impactful and done with utmost care.

The report published displays a decline in the sex ratio at birth in 21 districts of Maharashtra. To put it simply, the society clears prefers a male child even 60 years after independence and development. The government has been doing everything they can and yet the results are shocking. Some social activists blame the entire social system of our society.

A social system where everything is male dominated from priests at the place of worship to the attendees at a cremation ground, patriarchy prevails right through the very core of this society only to add to the false notion of superiority of one gender to other.

There still needs to be a lot of work done, here. No district of any state should be left behind. More schemes, more awareness, and more sensitization programs need to be put into action. We can’t be a nation that worships Goddesses by fasting for nine consecutive days but kills an infant inside the womb because its gender is that of the Goddess.

Image Credits: Google Images

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