Out of the following which factors are not responsible for poor child sex ratio?
A. Sex-specific abortions
B. Population dividend
C. Maternal Mortality Rate
D. Female Infanticide
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → B and C only
A. Sex-specific abortions Responsible (Incorrect). The sonogram, meant to find disorders in the foetus, is misused to identify and selectively abort female foetuses. The lowest child sex ratios are found in the most prosperous regions, so the problem is not due to poverty or lack of resources.
B. Population dividend Not responsible (Correct). The ‘demographic dividend’ is the benefit flowing from the changing age structure: when the dependency ratio falls, there are more workers relative to non-workers. It concerns the economy and the share of working-age people, not how many girls are born or survive.
C. Maternal Mortality Rate Not responsible (Correct). The maternal mortality rate is the number of women who die in childbirth per 1,00,000 live births. It concerns mothers, not children of 0-6 years, and it has been coming down in India, so it is difficult to see how it could have worsened the sex ratio. The much steeper fall in the child sex ratio points instead to the differential treatment of girl babies.
D. Female Infanticide Responsible (Incorrect). Female infanticide, the killing of girl babies due to religious or cultural beliefs, is one of the factors behind the decline in the child sex ratio, along with severe neglect of girl babies in infancy.
NCERT (2025-26): “…On the other hand, a falling dependency ratio can be a source of economic growth and prosperity due to the larger proportion of workers relative to non-workers. This is sometimes refered to as the ‘demographic dividend’, or benefit flowing from the changing age structure. However, this benefit is temporary because the larger pool of working age people will eventually turn into non-working old people.” “2.4 The Declining Sex-ratio in India … Demographers and sociologists have offered several reasons for the decline in the sex ratio in India. The main health factor that affects women differently from men is childbearing. It is relevant to ask if the fall in the sex ratio may be partly due to the increased risk of death in childbirth that only women face. However, maternal mortality is supposed to decline with development, as levels of nutrition, general education and awareness, as well as, the availability of medical and communication facilities improves. Indeed, maternal mortality rates have been coming down in India even though they remain high by international standards. So, it is difficult to see how maternal mortality could have been responsible for the worsening of the sex ratio over time.…” “…Several factors may be held responsible for the decline in the child sex ratio, including severe neglect of girl babies in infancy, leading to higher death rates; sex-specific abortions that prevent girl babies from being born; and female infanticide (or the killing of girl babies due to religious or cultural beliefs). Each of these reasons point to a serious social problem, and there is some evidence that all of these have been at work in India.…” |