The low and declining juvenile sex ratio in the country is a matter of grave policy concern, not only because it violates the human rights of unborn and infant girls but also because it deprives the country of the potential economic and social contribution of these “missing women”.
As per provisional population figures of Census 2011, the child sex ratio in Haryana is 830 female children per 1000 male children, which is the lowest amongst all states of India, despite the fact that the state has experienced an increase of 10 points as against 819 in 2001.
The present paper aims to study the determinants of skewed juvenile sex ratio and its implications in rural Haryana through empirical investigation.
At district level, out of 21 districts of Haryana, 16 districts have recorded an increase in the child sex ratio during the decade 2001 to 2011. On the other hand, there are five districts in which child sex ratio has decreased during this decade. Maximum decrease has been observed in Mahendragarh (40 points) district in southern part of the state, followed by Jhajjar (27 points) district in central Haryana. Jhajjar district also got the distinction of having lowest child sex ratio of 774 female children per 1000 male children not only in the state but also in the country as a whole.
Although, the determinants of skewed juvenile sex ratio are many, but the most important amongst them are strong son preference, prevalence of the practice of social evil of dowry, the mushrooming of private nursing homes/clinics with ultrasound facilities and the ability of people to pay for sex-selective abortions.