According to a survey carried out from 2019 to 2020 in India, 94 percent of college graduates felt that having at least one son in the family was more important than having at least one daughter. Similarly, 93 percent of less than college graduates felt that having at least one son was more important than having a daughter.
Motives for preference of a son
Even though the country’s sex ratio reflects an improvement compared to a few years ago, an overwhelmingly large portion of the population desires a male child in the family. The traditional belief that the son would carry on the family’s name is one of the few main reasons behind this preference for a son. Customarily, it would also be the sons who eventually are obliged to take care of their parents in old age. They are also considered the primary breadwinners of the family. The daughters, on the other hand, are expected to leave the family and join their matrimonial home. At the time of marriage, the bride’s parents are obliged to pay a dowry to the groom’s family, which is generally a financial burden for a majority of the rural population in India.
Female infanticide
Sex-selective abortions and female feticide are rooted in patriarchy, where the male child is given more privilege than a female child. For instance, more money is spent on the male child’s education so that he secures a good job and can then provide for the family. While abortions are legal, sex-selective abortions are illegal in India. However, female feticide is rampant across the country, and the number of illegal abortions surpasses the number of legal abortions.
Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education
22,975 Hindus, 3,336 Muslims, 1,782 Sikhs, 1,011 Christians, 719 Buddhists, 109 Jains and 67 respondents who belong to another religion or are religiously unaffiliated
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Pew Research Center. (March 2, 2022). Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/
Pew Research Center. "Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education." Chart. March 2, 2022. Statista. Accessed August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/
Pew Research Center. (2022). Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/
Pew Research Center. "Public Opinion on The Importance of Having Sons or Daughters in The Family in India in 2020, by Level of Education." Statista, Statista Inc., 2 Mar 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/
Pew Research Center, Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/ (last visited August 24, 2024)
Public opinion on the importance of having sons or daughters in the family in India in 2020, by level of education [Graph], Pew Research Center, March 2, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1301586/india-importance-of-having-sons-and-daughters-by-education-level/