Controlling gender at birth

For many years, Hai Duong has maintained its top position in the country in terms of gender imbalance at birth (SRB) in which there are more boys than girls, although the relevant agencies have implemented many measures to balance this index. According to the provincial Department of Population and Family Planning, the SRB in Hai Duong in the first 8 months of this year was 118.47 boys/100 girls, while in the same period last year it was 113.78 boys/100 girls. This figure far exceeds the normal ratio according to the natural balance standard of 104-106 boys/100 girls.

There are many reasons why it is difficult to reduce the gender imbalance in Hai Duong province. Some of these reasons are too old, such as the influence of the feudal ideology of "preferring sons and despising daughters" that has been deeply ingrained in people's thinking from generation to generation. The progressive development of the medical industry also "lends a hand" to the choice of gender at birth. When the economy is abundant, many people also practice the concept of "having many children, having many assets", wanting to have a third child or more. It is worth mentioning that most of these cases are families who have already had 2 daughters, so they easily choose to have a third child to have a son.

The desire to have a son of a large number of people is the biggest obstacle in the effort to reduce the gender gap. I once knew a case where both husband and wife were workers living far from home, renting a cramped room, lacking everything. They gave birth to 2 daughters. When the children grew up, the couple had to send them back to their hometown for their grandparents to take care of. Many times the mother shared with everyone that she just wanted to have money to return to her hometown to be close to and take care of her children. However, not long after that, the couple had a third child. The reason was very simple: they wanted a son. Not only was it more difficult, but the family's desire to take care of 2 daughters would certainly be even more distant...

According to the General Statistics Office, the population structure in the coming decades will bear the mark of current sex selection, with a male population size that is dominant for a long time. The phenomenon of MCBGTKS will be related to the process of family formation and structure, especially the marriage system. Men will be redundant and will face difficulties in finding a partner. This may lead to a delay in marriage or an increase in the rate of single life. This will have a negative impact on the family system in the future. It even has negative impacts on social life.

The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child (October 11) is “Promoting gender equality to reduce gender-based violence”. This shows that sex control at birth is being focused on to avoid the threat to national and global population stability; at the same time, improving the status of girls in society.

In the plan to implement the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the period 2021-2030, Hai Duong also set a goal that by 2025, the sex ratio will decrease to 112 boys/100 girls and to 109 boys/100 girls by 2030. To make this goal come true, along with strictly implementing the provisions of the law on population policy related to sex control at birth, each person needs to actively change their way of thinking, eliminating the root causes of gender inequality at birth.

NGOC THANH