The Son comes with glorious promises. He is a hand of earning. He is the one expected to eventually take over the household, and provide for its elders. He perpetuates the family name, thus cementing its glory, and providing untold joy to his parents.A worthy investment.
The Daughter pales in comparison. You feed her, educate her, save her dignity for nothing short of a couple of decades (maybe lesser than that in a few disturbing cases), and she just walks away with a stranger one day. Only to serve and to care and to provide for his family. She perpetuates another family. She comforts another set of elders. Why should we want her?
We boast of a shameful 940 females per 1000 males in our country. In almost all prominent North Indian states - Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, UP - the sex ratio fails to touch 900. The numbers are lower if you look at children. Its even more depressing to read that the child sex ratio has been declining. We are on our worst day since Independence. Independence to kill the girl child.
Along with our friendly neighbors (China), we lead the world in lowest female to male sex ratios at birth. Apparently, they also have a taste for female foeticide. India shining.
In a lot of cultures, despite being less preferred, the girl child is considered a symbol of wealth. In the Middle East and in Africa, male suitors pay a dowry to the girl's family in exchange for her hand. Unfortunately in India, even this is twisted. The girl's parents are expected to pay.
The truth is that women love and care for their parents as men do, if not more selflessly than men. And they are equally capable of being hands of earning. The issue is dowry, not the girl. We murder, and this adds to our disrespect for women. Maybe it also causes us to be violent with them.
According to some estimates, about 50 girl children were murdered as I wrote this.
Is dowry the only reason for the disturbing sex ratio? Unlike men, women have to leave their natal family. Isn't this a problem within itself? Also, the notions of honour.. Aren't they a problem too? Do they have anything to do with dowry???
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