Policy Measures on Sex Selection Abortions in India: A gender transformative evaluation
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Gender Transformative Approach##common.commaListSeparator## Policies##common.commaListSeparator## Sex Selective Abortions##common.commaListSeparator## Son Preferenceसार
The preference for a son and deselection of a daughter in India has been a persistent problem for a century. Patrilineal and patrilocal kinship practices are prevalent, particularly in the north-western region of India. Women are separated from the natal household and are completely absorbed in the marital family. Rigid kinship practices and norms disincentivise families from raising a daughter and make it essential to have a son. The present paper adopts a gender transformative lens to review the literature discussing the causes behind the practice of sex-selective abortions and the policies aimed at curbing them. While the root causes behind sex-selective abortions lie in the patrilineal and patrilocal kinship practices, the laws, social protection schemes, awareness, and sensitisation messages have hardly influenced the structure where the problem stems from. The paper recommends measures that address the root causes of the problem.
