Female Foeticide: Meaning, Causes & Preventive Measures (UPSC Notes)

Female foeticide is the selective abortion of female fetuses. It is a very serious problem in India. With the development of medical technologies, it has become simpler to identify the sex of an unborn child. This results in an increase in sex-selective abortions of girls. This is based on patriarchal beliefs that daughters are economic burdens. 

In this article, we will discuss the Status of Female Foeticide in India, its Causes, Concerns, and various provisions. Female Foeticide is an important topic for the UPSC IAS Exam.

What is Female Foeticide?

The abortion of a female foetus is called female foeticide. Female foeticide is the abortion of a female foetus. Parents who don’t want a girl child can use ultrasound technology to discover the sex of the child while the foetus is still in the womb and subsequently kill the baby in the womb before it is born.

India has witnessed a significant decline in the female population due to female foeticide. Advances like ultrasound and amniocentesis have facilitated sex determination, which has caused more gender-selective abortions. Though legally prohibited, these tests are abused and contribute to the imbalanced sex ratio. It is especially rampant in states of Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, where cultural preference for a male son is high. Here are the key points on female foeticide in India:

• Female foeticide means aborting a female fetus only because it is a girl. This practice is common in India.
• The child sex ratio in India in 2011 was 919 girls for every 1,000 boys. This ratio has become worse compared to 1991.
• States with the most skewed ratios include:
  • Haryana (834), Punjab (846), Jammu & Kashmir (862), Rajasthan (888), and Gujarat (890). 
• States with better ratios are:
  • Arunachal Pradesh (972), Mizoram (970), Meghalaya (970), Chhattisgarh (969) and Kerala (964).
• The main reasons for foeticide are:
  • People think boys are assets; girls are burdens.
  • The Dowry system makes people want boys more.
  • New medical tests make it easy to check the sex of a fetus.
• India made a law called Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) in 1994. This stops doctors from telling the sex of the fetus and doing sex-selective abortions.
• But still, the practice continues because people's thinking has not changed. They still prefer sons over daughters.
• India needs to work more to change people's attitudes, and make women more empowered.

Check out the linked article on Child Marriage Restraint Act!

High Sex Ratio Implication

A high sex ratio (more males than females) results in multiple social problems:

Increase in crimes against women

The more serious situation of imbalanced women causes, among other things, increased cases of trafficking, sexual exploitation, or forced marriages. Women become once again victims of torture, violence, and cases of inequitable treatment, which, in turn, are conducive to other forms of gender inequality and threaten social stability. The imbalance of gender ratio thus provides a fertile ground for bride buying and honor killing. 

Disruptions in marriage patterns

In conjunction with happenings that may stem from this social group asks it more difficult for men to find wives, some appear to go into forced marriages, polyandry, or even human trafficking. This is when girls are married against their wills, making them further deprived of their rights and autonomy within households and in society. 

Decline in workforce participation

The dearth of women leads to quite a sympathetic representation of female workforce participation and converts to low economic growth. Gender inequality in the labor force decreases productivity, we here highlight innovation, and undercuts development-oriented national growth. This reduced women's access to economic independence, which weakens urban and rural economy resilience. 

Psychological and emotional distress

Women are more prone to experiencing violence and discrimination, and this has a significant impact on their mental health. Gender-based violence, enforced dependency on men, oppression in many faces, etc. lead to cases of depression, anxiety, and poorly developed self-esteem. Moreover, the lack of support acts like an extra fuel to the already burning fire of psychological difficulties, impairing women's well-being. 

Unbalanced social structures

Distortion of the sex ratio derails social harmony and creates demographic instability of exceedingly longer duration. It skews the entire configuration of population growth and family structures, resulting in problems for society that last for generations. Gender imbalance thus leads to social fragmentation and weaker communal ties and, consequently, stalled town development. 

The origins of female foeticide date back centuries. Historically, societies practiced female infanticide due to economic burdens associated with raising girls. With medical advancements, prenatal sex determination made it easier to abort female fetuses, leading to the rise of female foeticide in the late 20th century.

Availability

Regardless of legal prohibitions, sex determination tests remain very easily available. It is private clinics and illegal medical attendants who advocate foeticide of female babies by playing on deep-rooted societal bias against the birth of a girl child. The government has brought in strict regulations, yet enough loopholes remain for the unethical to operate. What we need, therefore, is a simultaneously implemented combination of a campaign to raise awareness about the issue and a very strict monitoring system. 

Magnitude Estimates for Female Foeticide

The scale of female foeticide in India is alarming. Studies indicate that millions of female fetuses have been aborted in the past few decades. The Census was letting us know that drastic reductions in the female-to-male ratio per 1,000 were concrete evidence of how bad the crisis was. In spite of government measures, the problem remains, revealing ingrained cultural biases.

Causes of Female Foeticide

The causes for female foeticide are mentioned below:

Economic and social circumstances

• This is due to a combination of factors, including socioeconomic situations.
• There are no family planning options available to economically disadvantaged families. Discrimination in child care and nutrition leads to an increase in female infanticide in these homes.

Inequality between men and women in India

• Women have far fewer economic possibilities than men, as evidenced by the UNDP’s GII (Gender Inequality Index) 2012, in which India was rated 132 out of 148 nations.
• This creates a hostile climate for women and has a negative impact on their overall empowerment.
• Discrimination and incidents of female foeticide and infanticide follow as a result of these events.

Ideological Preference for Boys

•  In India, the patriarchal society has a long history of cultural bias against women. Until they are married off, girls are traditionally regarded as liabilities.
• Any investment in a girl’s education and empowerment is regarded as a failed business venture. The family bears an additional duty for their physical safety.
•  Dowry imposes an additional financial strain on parents, leading to a common preference for boy and female foeticide and infanticide.

Access to cutting-edge technology

• This choice, along with an emphasis on family planning, the availability of cutting-edge technology that facilitates sex identification and abortion, and a failure to enforce the PCPNDT act, has resulted in an increase in female foeticide instances.

Slipping of Moral and Ethical Norms

• Individuals and families have failed to regard the rights of the girl child and the total benefits that girls provide to society, while individual or family interests have been pushed, resulting in a deterioration in moral and ethical standards.
• Physicians that perform sex-selective abortions are likewise defying the Hippocratic oath.

Sexual harassment incidents and related law and order issues.

• Women are often regarded as the weaker sex, and their safety has always been a source of concern for families.
• To protect women’s dignity, Rajputs and Maratha families began the practise of female infanticide and Jauhar in the past.
• Increased rape and sexual harassment cases result in economic disillusionment for women, who their parents then marginalise.

Check out the linked article Census of India 2011!

Consequences of Female Foeticide in India

The lower male-to-female ratio Female foeticide and infanticide have serious ramifications for Indian society, which present themselves in a variety of ways, such as:

Rise in gender-based violence

With women's shortage, sexual exploitation, trafficking, and forced marriages arise. Women face high domestic violence and abuse rates. Absence of women disrupts social harmony and increases hostility toward the female gender. 

Marriage squeeze and social imbalance

Fewer women create an imbalance in marriage patterns, leading to forced marriages and polyandry. Men struggle to find suitable partners, which often results in cross-border marriages. This situation disturbs family structures and creates long-term demographic problems in affected regions.

Increased human trafficking and exploitation

The shortage of women forces illegal activities like human trafficking to flourish. Girls and women are kidnapped, sold, and forced into prostitution or involuntary servitude. This increases crimes against women and worsens their overall safety in society.

Negative impact on workforce participation

The demographic inequality is triggering a downward trend in the employability of women. There would also be a loss in terms of production capacities, idea generation, and potential economic development, and this would lead to occasions of lost cultural improvements due to a damaged labor force, and thus a loss in gender diversity for comprehensive activities. 

Psychological distress and social discrimination

Women in societies with high sex ratios face intense social pressure, discrimination, and mental health challenges. They are often devalued and treated as commodities rather than individuals. This causes long-term psychological and emotional distress, affecting their well-being.

Increased burden on existing female population

The pressure on the remaining female population increases considerably, with fewer women around. Women carry an excessive burden of work both at home and in society. The demands on them to work become so great that early child marriage becomes better than being overburdened with housework..

Weakening of social and cultural values

The decline in the sex ratio affects the values of the society and the cultural traditions. The devaluation of women minimizes the norms of the ethical standards and undermines the principles of equality and justice. The consequence will be backward thinking and instability in society.

Political and governance challenges

A gender gap affects the governance and representation systems. Fewer women in decision-making positions serve continuously to hinder the formulation and development of gender-sensitive policies, which sustains inequalities and further denies substantial progress toward women' empowerment and development. 

Deterioration in overall human development indicators

A sex ratio that is skewed can blur some of the development parameters such as literacy and health, in this sense, alleviation of poverty. Such societies would face multiple challenges in balanced progress due to weaker women, thereby truly undermining the core aims of sustainable development..

Disruptions in generational continuity

As fewer women are available for reproduction, population growth is affected. This results in demographic shifts that create long-term economic and social challenges. The imbalance disturbs traditional family structures and weakens generational continuity.

Check out the linked article on Child Labour in India!

Measures Taken to Prevent Female Foeticide

Measures to prevent female foeticide include strict laws (PCPNDT Act, 1994), awareness campaigns, incentives for girl children, stricter enforcement against illegal sex determination, and promoting gender equality through education and social reforms. Pre-Conception and 

Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. 

The Indian government passed the PCPNDT Act in 1994. This bans and punishes prenatal sex screening and female foeticide. This act makes it illegal to determine or disclose the sex of the fetus to anyone.

Awareness Campaigns

The government has launched various awareness campaigns. These educate people about the importance of gender equality and the consequences of female foeticide. These campaigns aim to change societal attitudes and promote the value of the girl child.

Strengthening Enforcement

Efforts are being made to strengthen the enforcement of laws related to female foeticide. This includes:

• stricter monitoring of ultrasound clinics, and 
• taking legal action against those involved in illegal sex determination and abortion.

Empowering Women

Initiatives have been taken to empower women socially and economically. This includes:

• providing education and skill development opportunities for girls,
• promoting women's rights, and 
• creating economic incentives for families to support the education of their daughters.

Check out the linked article United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child!

Government Schemes and Incentives Against Female Foeticide

The government has introduced various schemes to promote the well-being of girls. For example, the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter) campaign aims to improve the status of the girl child. This is achieved through a combination of awareness generation, multi-sectoral action, and effective implementation of girl-child-related schemes.

Some of the major government schemes include:

Punitive Measures

Strict penalties and punishments have been implemented for those involved in sex determination and female foeticide. This includes imprisonment and fines for those found guilty of violating the law.

Collaboration with NGOs

The government collaborates with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work towards preventing female foeticide.

Check out the article on Sexual Harassment at the workplace!

Central and State Government Schemes to Alleviate Female Foeticide and Child Mortality

To combat female foeticide, the government has introduced several initiatives:

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Focuses on protecting and educating the girl child.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: A financial savings scheme for girls.
• Ladli Scheme: Offers financial assistance to families with daughters.
• Dhanalakshmi Scheme: Provides incentives for the birth and education of girls.
• Kanya Kelavani Yojana: Encourages female education in Gujarat.

Laws and Regulations

The Indian government has enacted various laws to curb female foeticide. However, lack of enforcement and societal resistance hinder their effectiveness. The following laws aim to prevent gender-based abortion:

Laws Passed in India to Alleviate Female Foeticide

We hope all your doubts regarding Female Foeticide would have been addressed now. Testbook provides study material for various competitive examinations. Ace your UPSC preparation by downloading the Testbook App!