Women Marching Ahead!

The 2011 Census has revealed that Kerala now has 1084 females for every 1000 males, up from 1058 in 2001. At the beginning of the 20th century the State had 1004 females for every 1000 males. That means Kerala has maintained a woman-friendly sex ratio for over a 100 years. This calls for a major celebration! No other Indian State can boast of such an achievement. No other State can dream of attaining this ideal in the next hundred years.

But wait a minute! If we take the statistics for the 0-6 age group the picture is not so encouraging. The number of female infants is significantly lower than the number of male infants, indicating that perhaps some selective elimination is taking place. I wonder if the dowry menace has anything to do with it.

We used to have a tradition of welcoming and nurturing the girl child. Let us not fall a prey to narrow economic considerations. There is no doubt about it – a daughter is definitely an asset. Remember the words, “My son’s my son till he gets him a wife; my daughter’s my daughter all her life.” (How I wish I had a daughter!)

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