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Article on why is a girl child not welcomed in 200-250 words

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Welcome the Girl Child

On this National Girl Child Day (January 24), let us look up some hard truths regarding the girl child in India. Also, let us reflect on the positives of the girl child in the family.

By Renita Siqueira



If someone brought up the topic of gender preference, do you react by saying, ‘Gender preference? Really? Isn’t it a thing of the past?’ Your reaction is probably due to the fact that you see around you more girls among top-ranking students; more women having jobs, access to education, money and resources; more women holding positions of authority and making strides in all fields. But, what about all those girls and women who didn’t even get a chance to live?

Although the twenty-first century India is highly educated and developing at a fast pace, there is still a higher preference for a male child. Perceived as the alpha, the protector and provider, sons are considered as assets whether for political, economic or ritual reasons while daughters are considered burdensome liabilities.

As of 2015, according to statisticstimes.com, among all countries, India ranked 192nd with a dismal sex ratio of 106.98, which means there were only 93.47 females for every 100 males. Again, according to an article in the Lancet (2011), research data implies that ‘in India about 400,000 sex-selective abortions have taken place annually in recent years’!

Here are a few reasons for gender preference in India - socio-cultural factors like dowry, wedding expenses, custom of gift-giving, inability of girls to take care of parents after marriage, domestic violence, ill treatment by husbands and in-laws, ill treatment on account of giving birth to a girl, and so on. This gender preference goes hand-in-hand with gender discrimination.