Gender preference and awareness regarding sex determination among married women in urban slums
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20180421Keywords:
Crime, Gender, Abortion, Sex ratioAbstract
Background: People in India exhibit a strong gender preference for male child and this discrimination or prejudice continues in spite of socio- economic development and higher growth rates. The preference for sons has been associated with preferential abortion of female fetuses and even to female infanticide. Objective of the study was to assess gender preferences among married women in urban slums.
Methods: It was a community based cross sectional done at Urban Health Training Centre, Shahpur Nagar which is field practice area of Department of Community Medicine of Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. The study participants were all women who were above 18 years of age. During the study period we enrolled a total of 157 women.
Results: The maximum subjects were in the age group of 18-30 (54.1%). 82.2% of the study participants knew that sex determination is a crime. The majority of study participants stated dowry problems as the reason for their non preference of female children (77.3%) while 4.5% did not prefer female children due to the fact that they do not stay with their parents after marriage, 9.1% said rearing problem.
Conclusions: So intense health education should be given to the community telling them that it’s not only sons who take care of parents in old age but daughters can also play the same role. We need to educate them sons’ and daughters should be equally treated in the family.
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