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Due to the extreme bias in favor of male babies, China now has 32 million more boys than girls, under the age of 20. This is according to a study done by two Chinese professors and a London researcher. They attribute this huge gender disparity to the fact that Chinese couples decide to abort female fetuses in great numbers.
I have always been aware (as many of us have), of the fact that girls are preferred over boys in China, and that methods of getting rid of them did not, and perhaps still do not, simply consist of abortion; but by ways that involve doing away with them once they were born.
I have read that there are several reasons for preferring boys, and they all seem to be based on issues of economic practicality and just plain tradition, so it seems to me.
Nevertheless one would think that these practices would have disappeared once the communist leader Mao came along.
This study (which was published online by the British Medical Journal, womensnews.com reports) reveals that that is far from the case, and this is regrettable to a tragic degree.
With all those extra 32 million boys running around, I suppose that China's birthrate will drop. The fact that girls are so outnumbered means they must struggle that much harder for everything - from maintaining their dignity in a nation that seemingly does not respect them, to simple basic human rights.
Add a Comment4 Comments
Just a note, I am not anonymous like it says above, but the Anna, the one who posted the article.
April 20, 2009 - 5:29pmThis Comment
Alysiak,
April 20, 2009 - 5:26pmYes anything is possible, and I certainly hope that one day, practices and attitudes towards girls become more humane and enlightened in China.
Anna
This Comment
Hi Susan,
April 20, 2009 - 1:39pmMuch work needs to be done indeed. I find it incredible that this strong preference for boys is still very much alive in 2009. It seems so archaic, and of course, at the same time, it is denigrating to women and girls, and by that I mean women and girls everywhere. I have read about India and how it too has an overabundance of boys because they are the preferred gender. When will we see the day when girls are valued and treasured just as much as boys?
Anna
This Comment
While it seems an archaic preference for male children in 2009, let's not forget that much is still archaic in China. Let's also not forget that China is the longest continuous human civilization, dating back to 3,000 B.C., and a change in archaic attitudes won't happen quickly.
Regardless whether we're viewing an Eastern or Western society, males are still valued more than men. Will we see a change in our lifetime? Anything is possible.
April 20, 2009 - 4:18pmThis Comment