Gender bias – Kerala shows the way with its preference for the girl child
Kerala model development has always been a topic of discussion even in various international forums and in developing countries. Many India states emulate the developmental plans of Kerala that ensure the overall development in important segments like health , education and life care facilities along with the other developmental factors. Kerala boasts of a very high human development index, HDI (a developmental parameter set by the UN), which is at par with some of the developed countries in the world even though the state’s per capita income is only a fraction of these countries, which makes it all the more illustrious.
Kerala has made noteworthy progress in the living standards of its populace and social development. This tiny state has a well balanced formula for progress with low levels of infant mortality and population growth against high levels of literacy and life expectancy.
Now Kerala shows the way yet again in removing the ill effects of gender bias by showing a clear preference for the girl child unlike the rest of India where the women are obsessed with sons. The latest report of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Gender Issues suggest that in the last few years there has been an overall preference for girl children among the Indian women. Kerala trends in this list of women preferring girl child whereas Bihar occupies the last slot. In the year 1992 41.4 per cent Indian women preferred sons whereas in 1998 it dropped to 33% and in 2010 it has hit an all time low of just 25%.
While only 14% of women in cities prefer to have sons, the preference for a male child is significantly higher in rural areas. The latest statistics has indeed brought cheers and hope in the otherwise gloomy gender equality scenario. However all is not well for the girls in India as yet as much more needs to be done in improving their education, decision making and earning potential among others. Check out this interesting blog How few Keralite women are changing the future Indian social landscape, which tells you about the Haryanvi men who are forced to marry from Kerala as there aren’t enough women in their state!