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Answer as a 6 marks question. What is sex ratio? Causes of skewed sex ratio

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I now have solid textbook content from Park's Preventive & Social Medicine. Here is the full 6-mark answer:

Sex Ratio - Definition and Causes of Skewed Sex Ratio

Definition

Sex ratio is defined as "the number of females per 1000 males" in a given population. It is one of the basic demographic characteristics used to analyse the sex composition of a population. In India, the sex ratio at birth for 2016-2018 was estimated at 899 females per 1000 males.
  • A normal (near-balanced) sex ratio reflects equitable survival conditions for both sexes.
  • A low sex ratio (female deficit) is termed "Female Deficit Syndrome" and has serious social implications.
(Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine)

Causes of Skewed (Low) Sex Ratio

The sex composition of a population is affected by multiple biological, social, and cultural factors:
1. Son Preference / Male-Child Preference Deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes lead families to prefer male children, resulting in neglect or elimination of the female child. This is the root cause driving many other factors.
2. Female Foeticide Easy availability of sex determination tests (ultrasonography, amniocentesis) followed by selective termination of female foetuses is a major direct cause of a skewed sex ratio at birth.
3. Female Infanticide Deliberate killing of newborn female infants, although illegal, continues to occur in certain regions and communities, directly reducing the female population.
4. Preconception Sex Selection Techniques that allow selection of the sex of a child before conception (e.g., sperm sorting) further tilt the sex ratio in favour of males.
5. Higher Female Mortality
  • Neglect of the girl child leads to higher mortality in younger age groups (due to poor nutrition, delayed healthcare).
  • Higher maternal mortality also reduces the female population.
  • Differential access to healthcare and food between males and females.
6. Sex-Selective Migration Migration patterns may be predominantly male (e.g., men migrating to cities for work), distorting the sex ratio in both the origin and destination areas.
7. Differential Mortality Conditions Under-reporting of female births and male bias in enumeration of the population can also artificially lower the recorded sex ratio.
8. Socioeconomic Factors
  • Dowry system and associated financial burden of raising a girl child.
  • Low social status of women.
  • Lack of female education and economic independence.

Consequences of Skewed Sex Ratio

  • Gender inequity and increased violence against women
  • Increased trafficking and forced marriages
  • Decline in female literacy and empowerment
  • Demographic imbalance affecting future population structure
Key Point for Exam: In India, sex ratio is expressed as females per 1000 males (unlike the international convention of males per 100 females). A declining child sex ratio (0-6 years) is a particularly sensitive indicator of son preference and female foeticide.
  • Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine
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