scholarly journals Combatting the imbalance of sex ratio at birth: medium-term impact of India’s National Programme of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao in the Haryana State of India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Gupta ◽  
Girdhari Lal Singhal ◽  
Aarti Goyal ◽  
Gurjinder Kaur ◽  
Neha Purohit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Child Survival ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Time Series Regression ◽  
Registration System ◽  
The Government

Abstract The Government of India initiated the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (B3P) programme in 2015 as a flagship initiative to reduce gender imbalance in sex ratio at birth (SRB) and to ensure social protection of girls. The present study was conducted to evaluate the medium-term impact of B3P implementation in Haryana state, from 2015 to 2019, on SRB. Monthly data on SRB were collected for the entire state of Haryana through a civil registration system. Segmented time series regression analysis was used to estimate the variations in SRB after the B3P programme with the help of Winter’s additive interrupted time series model. The SRB in Haryana increased from 876 girls per 1000 boys in 2015 to 923 in 2019. The results of the model demonstrated that before the inception of intervention (pre-slope), there was a significant monthly change in SRB of 0.217 (95% confidence interval: 0.144–0.290). Following the B3P programme, SRB was found to increase by 0.835 per month, which implied that an increase of 0.618 (confidence interval: 0.338, 0.898) every month in SRB can be attributed to the B3P programme. This indicated that SRB for the state of Haryana increased at the rate of 7.42 units per year as a result of the B3P programme. B3P has led to a significant improvement in SRB in Haryana state. The continuity of efforts in the same direction with a sustained focus on behaviour change will further help achieve the goal of gender parity in births and child survival.

Changing Mindsets: How China's Abnormal Sex Ratio Is Turning Its Government into a Champion of Gender Equality

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Ying Tan
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Fertility Decline ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Selective Abortion ◽  
Sex Selective Abortion ◽  
The Government

AbstractA combination of factors has led to an increasing imbalance in the sex ratio of China's population. China's sex ratio at birth is 119 boys per 100 girls, far above the global norm of 106. This paper will focus on the abnormal sex ratio as a consequence of traditional Chinese gender attitudes holding women inferior and subordinate to men, which have been brought to the fore by a combination of fertility decline and technological advancement. Accordingly, any solution to the demographic problem must address these prevalent, entrenched mind-sets. The government appears to realise that existing laws prohibiting sex-selective abortion and infanticide will fail to correct the sex ratio. This paper examines the trend in government responses towards efforts to address traditional gender attitudes and argues that the demographic crisis may have turned the Chinese government into an unlikely champion of gender equality.

scholarly journals Sex ratio at birth in Vietnam among six subnational regions during 1990–2050, estimation and probabilistic projection using a Bayesian hierarchical time series model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengqing Chao ◽  
Christophe Z. Guilmoto ◽  
Hernando Ombao
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Local Maximum ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Red River ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical

The sex ratio at birth (SRB, i.e., the ratio of male to female births) in Vietnam has been imbalanced since the 2000s. Previous studies have revealed a rapid increase in the SRB over the past 15 years and the presence of important variations across regions. More recent studies suggested that the nation’s SRB may have plateaued during the 2010s. Given the lack of exhaustive birth registration data in Vietnam, it is necessary to estimate and project levels and trends in the regional SRBs in Vietnam based on a reproducible statistical approach. We compiled an extensive database on regional Vietnam SRBs based on all publicly available surveys and censuses and used a Bayesian hierarchical time series mixture model to estimate and project SRB in Vietnam by region from 1980 to 2050. The Bayesian model incorporates the uncertainties from the observations and year-by-year natural fluctuation. It includes a binary parameter to detect the existence of sex ratio transitions among Vietnamese regions. Furthermore, we model the SRB imbalance using a trapezoid function to capture the increase, stagnation, and decrease of the sex ratio transition by Vietnamese regions. The model results show that four out of six Vietnamese regions, namely, Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas, Northern Central and Central Coastal Areas, Red River Delta, and South East, have existing sex imbalances at birth. The rise in SRB in the Red River Delta was the fastest, as it took only 12 years and was more pronounced, with the SRB reaching the local maximum of 1.146 with a 95% credible interval (1.129, 1.163) in 2013. The model projections suggest that the current decade will record a sustained decline in sex imbalances at birth, and the SRB should be back to the national SRB baseline level of 1.06 in all regions by the mid-2030s.

scholarly journals Addressing skewed sex ratio at birth in China: practices and challenges

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-326
Author(s):  
Mengjun Tang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Normal Level ◽  
Downward Trend ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Significant Progress ◽  
Gender Imbalance ◽  
The Government

AbstractThe sex ratio at birth (SRB) in China began to rise rapidly in the 1980s and declined after 2009. The ratio has maintained a downward trend since 2009, but is still higher than the normal level. The government of China has committed to redress the distortions in SRB and has initiated multiple actions to accomplish that end. Against a background of economic development, accelerating modernization and the empowerment of women, China has strengthened governance and made significant progress in balancing the sex ratio at birth. This paper examines the trend for SRB in China, summarizes the practices that address gender imbalance at birth, and analyzes the challenges ahead.

scholarly journals Sex ratio at birth in Vietnam among six subnational regions during 1980–2050, estimation and probabilistic projection using a Bayesian hierarchical time series model with 2.9 million birth records

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253721
Author(s):  
Fengqing Chao ◽  
Christophe Z. Guilmoto ◽  
Hernando Ombao
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Local Maximum ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Red River ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical

The sex ratio at birth (SRB, i.e., the ratio of male to female births) in Vietnam has been imbalanced since the 2000s. Previous studies have revealed a rapid increase in the SRB over the past 15 years and the presence of important variations across regions. More recent studies suggested that the nation’s SRB may have plateaued during the 2010s. Given the lack of exhaustive birth registration data in Vietnam, it is necessary to estimate and project levels and trends in the regional SRBs in Vietnam based on a reproducible statistical approach. We compiled an extensive database on regional Vietnam SRBs based on all publicly available surveys and censuses and used a Bayesian hierarchical time series mixture model to estimate and project SRB in Vietnam by region from 1980 to 2050. The Bayesian model incorporates the uncertainties from the observations and year-by-year natural fluctuation. It includes a binary parameter to detect the existence of sex ratio transitions among Vietnamese regions. Furthermore, we model the SRB imbalance using a trapezoid function to capture the increase, stagnation, and decrease of the sex ratio transition by Vietnamese regions. The model results show that four out of six Vietnamese regions, namely, Northern Midlands and Mountain Areas, Northern Central and Central Coastal Areas, Red River Delta, and South East, have existing sex imbalances at birth. The rise in SRB in the Red River Delta was the fastest, as it took only 12 years and was more pronounced, with the SRB reaching the local maximum of 1.146 with a 95% credible interval (1.129, 1.163) in 2013. The model projections suggest that the current decade will record a sustained decline in sex imbalances at birth, and the SRB should be back to the national SRB baseline level of 1.06 in all regions by the mid-2030s.

scholarly journals Gender Discrimination and Sex-Ratio Imbalance: A Qualitative Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 746-750
Author(s):  
Bijayalaxmi Nanda ◽  
Nupur Ray
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Sex Selection ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Sex Ratio At Birth ◽  
The Government

The article strives to engage with the notion of gender discrimination at birth. It critically examines the various trends in the Sex Ratio at Birth in order to explore the intensification of its masculinization. Gender- biased sex selection or the practice of sex determination followed by sex-selective abortion in India is considered to be the main reason for this masculinization. Decennial Census since 1991 has shed light on this through its child sex ratio data. Other survey data which capture this include the National Family Health Survey. Scholars, policy-makers, demographers and health practitioners have closely examined this form of discrimination by delving into both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The government of India has unfurled many policies, programmes and laws to counter this imbalance. However, the ratios continue to reveal severe imbalances with passage of time. Apart from the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection Act) 1994 we have the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme which was initiated in 2014. The scheme is a holistic one bringing about a tri ministerial convergence of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Women and Child Development to work on the issue. The approach of the scheme is a community approach falling largely within the rubric of enabling community health practices and participation. The paper draws on both the trends in the Sex Ratio at Birth and other data enriching it by voices from the field from districts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh where the decline is one of the worst. It contextualizes the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in this regard in order to arrive at a conclusion of what has improved in terms of numbers as well as attitudes or mindsets. It finally makes suggestions for the way forward in terms of countering gender discrimination at birth and bringing about an egalitarian society by emphasizing on the value of girl-child and women. 

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