Most of us have this inkling that a boy baby be born to us. It is a generalisation, i agree. Perhaps, the trend is now changing, but in a very slow manner.
Being a woman myself, i've faced discrimination. On the road when i'm walking home, or by neighbours. And a woman is troubled at home because she gives birth to a girl. I've seen a situation, where the daughter-in-law was thankful that her second child was a son lest she be thrown out of her husband's house.
And now, somebody plans to legalise foetal gender selection. That's disturbing, to say the least.
Nature has its own ways of balancing. I saw a programme on alligators the other day. It featured the nesting habits of the same. Nature makes one alligator to maintain higher temperatures in the nest which brings out males from the hatched eggs. Another's nest has a lower temperature, wherein females alligators are born.
Mindblowing. Nature brings about the balance of the sexes in a very delicate manner, without the knowledge of individuls. If such is the case with alligators, a similar rule holds good with respect to human beings too.
Viewing from a broader perspective, the sex ratio of humans is counterbalanced. Quite precisely.
The present sex-ratio is not something that is to be smiled at. It is worsening day by day. Female foeticide is rampant. Apparently, statistics say that three million female infants will be killed in the coming few years. Trying to comprehend the number and the magnitude that it portrays will take me some time. Three million lives lost, down the drain simply because somebody does not want it.
And if a legislation is passed which allows gender-selection, the society is doomed. For sure. People will become more selfish. If not anything else. This happens when, India, Nature, the Ganga, the Cauvery are chacterized by feminity.
Female infanticide/foeticide is enhanced(for want of a better word) by the socio-cultural practises that we've established amongst us. This write-up throws more insight. Why and how, i don't know.
Where are we heading? Doomsday awaits us. To think about the repercussions is scary, to say the least.
And we call ourselves human... God save us!
Some interesting links:
http://www.indiatogether.org/2003/aug/wom-sexratio.htm
http://www.icmr.nic.in/ijmr/2007/april/0416.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex-selective_abortion#Societal_effects_of_sex-selective_abortion
PS: I googled to search for some articles pertaining to this subject. Along with the above-mentioned sites, i found one which offered me 96% chances of bearing a baby boy with no ill-effects. One amongst hundreds. Maybe thousands even.
11 comments:
It is one sad truth of our society but then we are no less than hypocrites. We all know it still run away from it. Even I have seen women today who long for the male child and there have been so many instances where women have killed their female child and as you have rightly said ahead lies...doomsday...if gender selection is allowed.
Gender selection is a joke, a sad one, that is.
Education, education and more education is THE only solution.
Disturbing!
Awareness... Indians worship females in the form of Ganga, Kali, Mother etc.. Unfortunately, doesnt love them, doesnt love their female children...
Quiet astonishing! How will we eradicate this evil? I am with you SK.
Really worth mentioning fact that eludes the society from development. The worst situation being that even in educated family gender discrimination prevails.
Well as far as eradication is concerned, it's possible when women take ups jobs in the society and just dont end up being house wife. As a result there will be awareness in the society, and a slow change can be brought up in mans mentality.
kalyan,
that is one thing that really irks me. to no end.
ds,
what manu says is true. i've observed the 'educated' prefer a boy to a girl. eduaction does not suffice, broad-mindedness, factualiies also should be thought about.
srik,
extremely sad and disheatening.
manu,
perhaps so. if and only if more women are allowed to explore the poutside world. again, the society plays an important role. it may change the perspective to some extent, atleast.
I am proud of my mother who prayed for a girl child forty -five years ago !!
I am living proof of His answer to her prayers.he didn't listen to mine though.
I feel it is an insult to humanity to discriminate between two sexes.
neela,
yes true, a shame to the entire concept of being humane.
There was this ad I saw a few months ago, on a hoarding. It asked a man "ತಾಯಾಗಿ ಬೇಕು, ಹೆಂಡತಿಯಾಗಿ ಬೇಕು, ಮಗಳಾಗಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಬೇಡ?"
Pretty deep and straightforward question...
A true depiction of the sad state of affairs in India, true awareness seems to be in air, but is it enough. There is no use blaming the uneducated, when i have seen educated wanting a male heir to carry on their family name..yuck..
parijata,
that's true. that reminds me of a movie that came about 2 years back called mathrubhoomi. honestly i haven't seen the movie myself but it depicts the deplorable state the we live in.
priya,
i don't understand that statement:a male heir to carry on the family name. bull! the same genes but the gender varies. there's nothing else apart from that. personally, i'm happy the woman that i am.
education hardly stands for what it actually stands for.
http://bachodi.wordpress.com/2007/01/08/dont-abort-girl-child/
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