Recently, I came across a news article of how in the UK, even in recent times a lot of couples are choosing to abort baby girls and the ratio of boys and girls being born were 107 to every 100 girls. These included stats taken from 2021 to 2025. It made me wonder why this is still happening and what we can do to stop this.
Back in some parts of South Asia, the dark practice to abort baby girls was rife and some villages now have more men than women as they were not allowed to be born. But it does raise questions that this culture has still followed us even when we have moved to other parts of the world, even in places where this would feel barbaric and out of place.
It raises questions on why boys are still considered more important than girls and where does this attitude come from? In some families men were seen as more valuable than women due to them being heirs and carrying on the family name. Issues such as money and inheritance, family and generational wealth can still be seen as important in our cultures, and this sometimes can affect how genders are viewed.
These are important things to consider in a world where women are now achieving just as much as men, especially in the Western world where there is an abundance of opportunities of education and work. An additional factor is also the culture, which is more open and inviting for women to progress and grow in independence. It sees them as equal to men and just as valuable. So, we must ask ourselves what it is about the South Asian culture that still feels it is okay to prevent girls from being born – what takes their right to life away?
Patriarchy unfortunately is still ingrained in our culture and can affect these issues, especially how boys are brought up and the inequality between them and their sisters. It was common at times for sons to increase their family’s social status, whilst girls were seen as a burden on their parents.
In cases where women are aborting female children, there may also be pressure from their in-laws or husbands to do this. Many women can also experience a lot of depression and upset over having to make this decision as it is rarely a simple one. And although we have laws here in UK to protect against this, it is not directly applicable to private family decisions and how they can slip under the radar.
In families, this discussion should be encouraged as this will encourage their views to change and grow. People can gently challenge unhelpful views, and this can really help elders or couples that still feel this is a good way of living. We need to praise and really value women and girls again as they do bring so much to society and our lives. Women are full of love, joy and emotional intelligence and bring so much to our lives, and this is to be celebrated.
Written By Dee
