The Dark Side of Gender Preference

In China, 120 boys are born for every 100 girls. Experts think that the recent trend (since 1980) is the result of China’s “one-child” population-control policy, combined with a traditional society in which the eldest boy inherits the family land and is responsible for taking care of aging parents. So if a couple is planning on having just one child, usually they will decide it should be a boy. The boy/girl sex ratio is highest in rural areas; in cities, the earning power of women tends to be accompanied by a more normal sex ratio.

What can be done about it? One approach is educational programs to encourage couples to value daughters equally with sons; another is to allow families whose first child is a girl to have a second child; still another is to encourage young couples to live with her parents rather than his. The government is even offering cash payments for girls in some regions.