Viet Nam Human Rights
Vietnam struggles with gender imbalance
30/6/17
The sex ratio at birth has risen in 45 provinces and cities a year after the plan to control gender imbalance for 2016-2025 period was agreed, announced the General Office of Population and Family Planning before World Population Day on July 11.
A recent survey conducted by the Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences showed that the gender imbalance issue is most serious in Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Nam Dinh, Hai Phong and Quang Ngai.
More men will marry late or remain unmarried. There are fears that it will lead to the increase in prostitution, women and children trafficking, domestic violence, growing gender inequality and HIV/AIDS infections. Kindergartens and primary schools will lack teachers and hospitals will lack nurses as employees of these occupations are mostly women in Vietnam.
According to the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, older people with less education are more persistent in wanting a son.
The Department of Population and Labour Statistics reported that the gender imbalance in Vietnam is rising in recent years and differs from province to province. It has mainly risen in the rural and decreased in cities.
The sex ratio at birth rose from 108.5 to 116.1 in northern mountainous areas, Red River Delta, Central Highland and the Mekong Delta. Meanwhile, it significantly decreased from 109.7 to 105.5 in the north central coast, central coast and the south-east region.
The natural sex ratio at birth is often considered to be around 105. This means that at birth on average, there are 105 males for every 100 females.
What surprised the researchers is the sex ratio at birth rises with women's academic level. It's 105 for women who only have about three years of education and 113 for women with 12 years of education or more.
The ratio is extremely high in the third births when the pressure on women who haven't had a son yet is immeasurable. It is estimated that 148.4 boys are born for every 100 girls in those cases.
Wealthy people use abortions to ensure they have a son as Vietnamese people still discriminate. In addition, as the couples nowadays tend to have fewer children, they often gender select their children.
Professor Youngtae Cho from Seoul National University said with relatively high child and infant mortality rate, the couples only want to have two children will want both to be boys so that if anything happens to one of the boys, they still have a son.
In South Korea, medical facilities will have their licences revoked if they are found to have facilitated gender selection. In serious cases, violators can be fined or jailed. Public awareness programmes are also being carried out.
According to Cho, old fashioned views must be reconsidered such as the belief that only sons can carry a family. Cho said Vietnam could improve the situation when discrimination against girls was lessened.
Cho thinks that more people are realising that women care more about their parents than sons./.
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All comments [ 1 ]
This also helps promote gender equality!
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