The consequences of declining child sex ratio:

♤ It has led to a sharp increase in violence against women.

♤ Increased violence against women has led to more son preference, as parents feel it is difficult to keep women safe.

♤ In a study conducted by the Centre for Social Research, Haryana, fear of violence against women is a major cause of female foeticide.

♤ Apart from this, there have been increasing cases of polygamy due to shortage of women. There are cases of forcible marriage of widows.

♤ There has been commodification of women as well, with practices of purchasing of brides from poor areas.

♤ Economic consequences are that there is a huge proportion of productive population which is missing. Lack of women impairs the ability of men to work, and has led to increased work pressure on the men.

The government has tried to counter the declining sex ratio through initiatives like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhai; Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana etc.

2) Health - Studies on hospital admissions and records have shown that males get more medical care compared to girls. 2% of the female population is absolute anaemic. 12% of the female population of the country suffers from repeated pregnancy (80% of their productive life is spent in pregnancy) & lack of nutrition.

Reproductive Health

♤ Maternal Mortality Rate in India has dropped from 167 to 130

♤ The number of contraceptives has increased, but is far from reaching the 100% mark

♤ Institutional deliveries: Number of institutional deliveries rose by 15% from 2004 to 2014, mostly aided by JSY.

o Deliveries in government hospitals rose by 22%, and it fell by 8% in private hospitals

o Home births dropped by 16%

♤ But JSY has not been able to cater to the lowest most rung of the society. This is primarily due to lack of facilities in rural areas, and lack of doctors there

♤ Also, quality of antenatal care is vital to reduce the risk of still births and pregnancy complications, and that is not in a very good position in India.

3) Literacy - The female literacy levels according to the Literacy Rate 2011 census are 65.46% where the male literacy rate is over 80%. While Kerala has the highest female literacy rate of 100% , Bihar is at the lowest with only 46.40%

4) Employment – Of the total female population 21.9% are a part of Indian workforce. Majority of women are employed in the rural areas and in agriculture. Amongst rural women workers 87% are employed in agriculture as laborers, cultivators, self-employed like hawkers etc., i.e. in the unorganized sector which almost always remains invisible. Despite the equal remuneration Act 1976, women are paid lower wages, occupy lower skilled jobs, have less access to skill training and promotion.

5) Political status – Though India had a first women Prime Minister Late Ms. Indira Gandhi, nonetheless women are not fairly represented in the Parliament & other State & Local bodies. With only around 9 per cent women in upper house and around 11 per cent in the lower house of parliament, India ranks 99th in the world in terms of female representation among MPs.

However, 73rd & 74th amendments to the constitution have ensured the participation of women in PRIs with a reservation of 1/3rd for women. Today more than 30 million women are actively participating in the political decision making process at the grass root.