Cherish the girls
In 1990, the Nobel laureate and economist Amartya Sen created a firestorm when he published an essay saying there was a deficit of 100 million women in the world because of a preference in some cultures for male babies over females.
More recently, the United Nations Population Fund pegged the deficit at 117 million, as women continue to have sex-selective abortions.
Now the Canadian Medical Association Journal has published a study that indicates this preference for boys over girls isn’t just an issue for other countries. There’s evidence it’s happening here.
The study found Canadian families with Indian-born immigrant parents had a “deficit” of more than 4,400 girls over two decades.
This is troubling in a country that prides itself on gender equality and that regards every child as precious. But there is no refuting the numbers. The natural odds of having a boy over a girl are 107 to 100, worldwide. Yet Indian-born mothers in Canada with two children had 138 boys for every 100 girls. And in Ontario that number rose to 196 boys for every 100 girls, among women with two daughters. What can be done to turn this around? The CMAJ study’s lead author, Marcelo Urquia of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, suggests that Canada could use a “respectful debate” on the value of girls and women in today’s society. It needn’t involve finger-pointing at any specific community. Gender preference cuts across many cultures, the study found.
Much to be encouraged, as well, is a growing trend in the Indian community itself to celebrate the birth of girls as well as boys. Families are making use of the traditional celebration of Lohri for a boy, and calling it Lohri for Her for a girl. It’s good to see this gain ground. It’s a wonderful, girl-affirming gesture.
And of course Ontario and the other provinces should provide counselling and support for women — from any culture — who feel pressured by spouses or family into aborting female fetuses.
Canada can’t claim to be perfect on a gender-equality score, but we do aim to be a country of equal opportunity for boys and girls alike. So there’s always room for a little more consciousnessraising. It takes a village, after all, to raise a child. And each and every one deserves to be valued equally.
Canadians might be surprised to discover that there’s a preference for male births in some communities in this country