Declining Child Sex Ratio in Haryana: Causes and Consequences

Child sex ratio, which is a measure of demographic stability and gender parity, reflects the comparison between the number of girls and those of boys in the age group of 0-6. Haryana had one of the lowest CSRs in India. This striking fact is an outcome of long-standing gender inequality. The lowest child sex ratio in 2011 Census (approximately 834 female children to 1,000 male children) established that the population had a clear penchant for male progeny coupled with discriminatory behavior toward female progeny in Haryana. Several socio-cultural factors contribute to the decrease in the child sex ratio in the state, including preference of son, female feticide, misuse of prenatal diagnostic techniques for sex determination purposes, and also those related to a culture that prefers males. Traditional thinking about sons as an insurance against financial constraints in old age and name bearers of a family, as well for wives, has contributed to creating son preference in terms of economic and social discrimination. In this context, they keep discrimination in society. A decrease in child sex ratio will have far-reaching and long-term consequences.