Why You Should STOP wishing for a Girl Child

It was an autumn morning of 2023, being a tea enthusiast i went out to my nearest grocery shop owned by a middle aged couple for buying milk , generally the lady is who I come across and interact to majority of times, small talks , greetings exchange was the relationship we shared . So, that day we managed to start a very family oriented discussion , she inquired of me not visiting my hometown or family during Diwali( a major Hindu festival) my answer touched a disappointment chord in her , she was missing her elder son who for the same given reason will not be celebrating the festival with her and family it is during this exchange of thoughts I came to know that she was a mother of 4 sons , of which 2 were living with the couple and other two were pursuing their careers in the far away metro cities. Now, at the end of this discussion she shying away told me that her husband dire wish for a baby girl was what resulted in the count of 4 .

I smiled and left the shop but that statement played on a loop in my mind , because it clearly states the status quo of a girl child in our society. She is a WISH not necessity , people tend to realize their wishes when their necessities are fulfilled our obsession for a male child is perceived to be a basic need. For todays generation residing in a tier1 or 2 cities , majority of times having a baby girl is associated with partner’s fondness for, love for, desire of etc this thought process is not something that’s highlighted for criticism but for introspection. We as a society have come a long way from sati pratha , purdah system, child marriage , female Infanticide, Dev Dasi system some of which still exists in the remote areas of the country but we have managed to curtail them to a great extent through the contribution of every strata of the society . Its wonderful to notice that according to the latest , National Family Health Survey , 2020–2021(NFHS-5)

1. In 2023, India’s sex ratio is 1020 Females per 1000 males
2. In Rural areas, the Sex Ratio is 985 females to 1000 males.
3. Prior, the census which was held in 2011, shows India’s total sex ratio was 943 females 1000 males.

It wont be wrong to say that the efforts of both the government initiatives and society has brought such a noticeable change in the above statistics , its a big achievement and we should definitely celebrate it but along with these efforts we need to focus on below data as well.

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2023 places India at position 111, the undernourishment rate in India is 16.6 percent, India’s under-five mortality rate is 3.1 percent, the prevalence of anaemia in women between the ages of 15–24 stands at 58.1 percent and India also has the highest child-wasting rate in the world at 18.7 percent, reflecting acute undernutrition.

The formula used to determine each nation’s GHI score combines four indicators that collectively capture the multifaceted nature of hunger. The four indicators are:

• Undernourishment: The percentage of people who consume insufficient calories.
• Child stunting: The proportion of children under five with low heights for their ages, which indicates persistent undernutrition.
• Child wasting: The proportion of kids under five with low weights relative to their heights, which indicates severe undernutrition.
• Child mortality: The percentage of kids who pass away before turning five, which is partially a result of poor nutrition and unhealthful environments.

We as a nation have made a lot of efforts , the data may present a grim picture about the current status of the country but we need to have a overall picture as well and that we get from the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin of Registrar General of India (RGI), as per them the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has reduced from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 30 per 1,000 live births in 2019 at National Level.

So, all these details made me think that is it not time that we start focussing on having a healthy child a necessity irrespective of gender. What good will a undernourished, stunted , wasted child will be to himself the need of the hour is to raise a child healthy in both ways physically and mentally and only then probably wishes will get there true meaning.