The world

population has a
sex ratio of 990
females per 1000
males
Sex ratio:
Japan 1041
USA 1029
Indonesia 1004
Bangladesh 953
China 944
India 933
India has one of the
lowest sex ratios in
the world

1991: 945
2001: 927

On a national

level the sex

ratio in the

age group 0-6

has declined

drastically

Mumbai City
has only 898
girls per
1000 boys in
the age
group 0-6
years.

Mumbais performance on other indicators is

impressive

India

Maharashtra

Mumbai

Girls age 6-12 attending

school

76.5

89.5

91.9

Boys age 6-12 attending

school

84.7

92.0

94.0

Institutional deliveries

50.7

52.6

85.3

Total fertility rate

3.39

2.52

2.13

Childhood mortality

67.6

44.0

24.5

Why is the
Sex ratio so
low?

A certain percent of
under-enumeration of
girls is observed
However it cannot
account for such large
differences
Childhood mortality
among girls and female
infanticide also lead to
skewed sex ratio
Mostly the low sex ratio
in Mumbai is due to sex
selective abortions!

In Mumbai,
1986, before
implementatio
n of the PNDT
act
7999 out of
8000
abortions
carried out
after sex
determination
tests were
female
foetuses.
Feminist discourse on sex screening and
selective abortion of female fetuses By
Farhat Moazam, Bioethics, Volume
18 Issue 3June 2004

Abortion is the
right of the
woman and
legalized in India
under the Medical
Termination of
Pregnancy Act
However having
an abortion based
only on the gender
of the foetus is
illegal.
..and a horrible
form of gender
discrimination

Evidence suggests
that the PNDT act has
not had the intended
effect.
The declining sex
ratio in the age group
0-6 exemplifies the
failure of the PNDT
act.
This is supported by
the sex ratio at birth:
131 boys per 100
girls
[Rapid household survey in Greater
Mumbai]

17.3% women in
Mumbai want
more boys than
girls, while only
2.8% want more
girls than boys

There is
almost no
difference
between the
sex
preference
in Mumbais
slum and
non-slum
areas.

The adverse sex ratio creates

shortage of women and has
severe long-term implications

The
shortage
of women
does not
lead to their
increased
value, but
to greater
restrictions
and control
placed over
them.

There are
reports of
increasing
numbers of
women
being
trafficked
and sold for
marriage in
Rajasthan
and Gujarat

Would you like to see women achievers in

the future?

Dont deny the

girl child the right
to be born.
Welcome her into
your life.

Support

Make a difference!

Sources
Status of Women in India. Advocacy Internet: Vol: 5: issue no.04 July-Aug.
2003. Published by NCAS.
The Shame of Mumbai. Declining Sex Ratio Is a Cause For Concern, Population
First Newsletter, August Issue 15.08.2004
The practice of sex selective abortion in India: may you be the Mother of a
hundred sons by Rita Patel M.D.
Abortion vs. selective conceiving. Heading towards an imbalanced society by
Puneet Kaur. New Delhi. 07.04.2002.
http://www.boloji.com/women/02725.htm
Women in India. How free? How equal? By Kalyani Menin-Sen and A K Shiva
Kumar. United Nations Resident Coordinator. 2001.
Review of initiatives to combat child trafficking by members of the save the
children alliance 2003
Doctors what about your duty? Indianest.com by Anjali Deshpande.
04.06.2002. http://www.boloji.com/wfs/wfs044.htm
Natioal Family Health Survey India 1998-99. NFHS-2 Maharashtra.
International Institute for Population Issues.
Girl shortage causes wife buying in India. Futurepundit. 05.02.2003.
Feminist discourse on sex screening and selective abortion of female fetuses
By Farhat Moazam, Bioethics, Volume 18 Issue 3June 2004
Prepared by Lone Sndergaard Population First