Boys vs girls By Michael Tan
Publisher:Philippine Daily Inquirer - Publication Date: 06-02-2008

Without human interference, 105 males are born for every 100 females in the Philippines. Eventually, the ratio between the number of males and females becomes more equal because the death rate among boys tends to be higher than that of girls.
In some societies, the tendency to have more males at birth may be even more skewed: in Viet Nam it is 107 males for every 100 females; in Taiwan it is 110; in China and India, the number climbs to 112, and in South Korea it is 113. Even with the death of more males in early childhood, there will still be more males than females among adults in these countries, with dire predictions that many men will not be able to find wives. Already there are projections that Chinese men may eventually have to go to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries—guess which ones—to find wives.
There’s a pattern to these countries where the sex ratio is so lopsided: all of them are extremely patriarchal as reflected in a distinct preference for sons. It used to be that in more traditional families, daughters would simply be neglected and allowed to die. With the advent of ultrasound technology, parents are now able to tell the sex of the foetus and will often choose to abort the female ones.
The situation has become so serious that the Chinese and Vietnamese governments now forbid obstetricians from revealing the sex of the foetus to parents. But my Chinese and Vietnamese friends, including quite a few physicians, simply smile when I ask them whether the law is enforced or not.
The preference for sons goes back to agrarian societies, with males seen as being more valuable for labour in the fields. Actually, women do handle some of the most difficult and tedious agricultural work, like transplanting seedlings, but the work tends to be devalued because it is less visible than plowing and “heavy” agricultural tasks associated with men.
Agriculture sequestered women, keeping them within homes and emphasising their role as producers of children, preferably sons. Many cultural beliefs also evolved, often associating women with bad luck. Menstruating women were banned from the fields because they were believed to be in a “hot” state that could harm the crops. Other taboos were imposed on such women; for example, they are not allowed to cook because it was believed the food would become poisoned.
But it wasn’t just menstruating women who were marginalised. Menstruating or not, young or old, women were seen as dangerous in many societies, especially in relation to their sexuality. Women were seen as temptresses and seducers. Such views were not limited to agrarian societies. Pastoralist groups, those that relied on herding, also tended to keep women under control. Supposedly to protect them, women were covered up, their movements restricted and, in extreme cases, their genitals mutilated. The real reason for these extreme measures was male insecurity: men had to be sure about the paternity of their sons, who were going to inherit their lands, animal herds and other resources, so women’s reproduction had to be strictly monitored.
Religions played an important role in reinforcing these beliefs. Menstruating women (believed to be unclean) were barred from entering many places of worship; when allowed in, they had to be covered and often segregated from the men. Religions tend to see females not just as dangerous but as intrinsically flawed, and are therefore restricted from playing major roles. This could explain the ban on their becoming priests or monks.
As if all these were not enough, agrarian societies created the dowry system, where a woman takes out resources from her family when she marries. No wonder in such societies a daughter is seen as a liability. Don’t think that the groom’s family necessarily sees her as an asset either. India has an added problem of dowry deaths, where a new bride sometimes dies under mysterious circumstances amid constant complaints from the groom’s family that she brought in too small a dowry.
Should it be surprising then that even women see themselves as bad luck? Recently I attended a Buddhist ceremony with the reading of a long prayer. There were lines like, “By chanting this sutra, I bring better health. By chanting this sutra, I bring prosperity.” At one point it went, “By chanting this sutra, I will not be reborn as a woman.”
I nearly dropped the prayer book! But as an anthropologist, I could understand why the sutra had such a passage. In many societies, women will actually believe that their life situation, so full of sorrows and tribulations, must indeed be the product of bad karma from a previous life.
The situation is changing, fortunately, especially in East Asian countries, where more women have entered the labour force and are becoming economically independent. Many bring in wealth to their families and are supporting their elderly parents. Female-selective abortions are beginning to drop in these countries. It shouldn’t be surprising if cultural views are changing as well, so that eventually, daughters will be seen as much a source of luck and happiness as the sons are.

foto

Attached Images

kids.jpg (29.3 KB, 12 views)

very interesting facts

__________________
ProAzn.com on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/ProAznCommunity

Wiki-ABOUT US
http://www.aboutus.org/Proazn.com