Skewed Sex Ratios In China

The Washington Post recently published a well written story on the problem of skewed sex ratios in China. Because of the one child policy, there are now 117 boys born for every 100 girls, but according to the Post, the situation is much worse in rural areas.

Here’s an idea of how extreme the sex ration is skewed toward boys in rural areas. Post writer John Pomfret notes that in the village of Xicun, located in the southern Guangxi province, birth records reveal that in 2000 there were 20 children born, 16 of whom were boys. In 1999, there were 24 children born, 19 of them boys.

According to Pomfret in some Guangxi villages the sex ratio approaches 140 boys for every 100 girls — a disturbingly high ratio given that worldwide the sex ratio is about 105 boys for every 100 girls.

The problem in China is the combination of the |one child policy| which places strict limits on family size, in combination with the arrival of cheap ultrasound machines that allow potential parents to more accurately determine the likely sex of a fetus and obtain an abortion if the fetus is female while carrying it to term if the fetus is a boy.

Pomfert also reports that at least in rural China a cultural denigration of the role of girls still persists. As one mother explained her preference for a boy, “My girl is going to marry out of the family. So why should we devote resources to her?”

Demographer Wu Cangping told Pomfert that, “If the son is sick, families in the countryside will get a doctor. If the girl is sick they won’t.” As a result, the mortality rate for girls under 4 is much higher than it is for boys under 4.

And make no mistake the sex ratio difference is likely a direct result of the one child policy. Promfert cites research by American anthropologist Susan Greenhalagh who found that sex ratios in Chinese villages were closely correlated with how strictly the one child policy was enforced.

Source:

In China’s countryside, “It’s a boy!’ too often. John Pomfret, The Washington Post, May 29, 2001.