"Ladka hua, ya ladki?” is an oft-asked question by mothers-in-law in the films of the 70s.
And when the mid-wife replies that it’s a girl, she throws a sympathetic look to her scowling son.
Cut to the 21st century, and disappointment associated with the girl child still exists! The 2011 Census has concluded that Bengaluru has the lowest sex ratio when compared to various districts of Karnataka.
The Lancet Study too concluded that the rich and educated in India prefer baby boys to girls. But young couples in the city beg to differ.
They strongly opine that a baby girl is as valuable as a male child and react with sheer disgust to the findings.
Says beauty professional Anita Appu, whose daughter Ivanka is a year-and-a-half, “We love that we have a baby girl. We would have been as happy had it been a boy. It really shouldn’t matter as long as the child is a healthy human being.”
Mindset is influenced by a person’s upbringing. Olympian swimmer Nisha Millet says, “My parents were always hoping for girls before my sister and I were born. It’s sad how the rich and educated prefer boys to girls now.”
Experts attribute these dismal findings to deep-rooted cultural beliefs.
Says sociologist Dr Sindhe Jaganath R, “The economy may have progressed, but the awareness level of the society shows room for improvement. The reasons that boys are preferred is that the “wealth stays within the family,” and the son is expected to support parents in later in life.”
Dr Praveena Shenoi, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Manipal Hospital, says, “There are private ultrasound centres that reveal the sex of the baby. More so in north India. The preoccupation with the boy child is particularly seen in business communities. The others are usually progressive.”
Aravind S, a businessman, feels that though this trend may be common in business communities, it is wrong to assume that all business families think this way.
“A girl child can also be an heiress to your business and fortune. I view a girl and a boy child as equals. Irrespective of whether I have a girl or a boy, I will train the child in my trade, as long as the child shows aptitude for it.”
A real difference can be made only when laws, regarding revealing the sex of the child and the abortion of a girl child in these circumstances, become stricter.
Says Pramila Nesargi, former chairperson of the State Women’s Commission, “The laws have to be made more stringent, and the technicians associated with these illegal processes have to be prosecuted, along with the parents.”
