RISING GENDER IMBALANCE MAY LEAVE MILLIONS OF MEN WITH NO WIVES

Tiffany Lloyd
Current Events Log
Topic: Gender and Family
Entry #1
8/18/06



Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence WireCopyright 2006 Business Daily Update Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire Business Daily Update
August 14, 2006 Monday
HEADLINE: RISING GENDER IMBALANCE MAY LEAVE MILLIONS OF MEN WITH NO


This article is shedding light on the problem of gender selection within the Chinese culture. Throughout the past few years there has been a significant increase in the male population of China. This is because within the Chinese culture it is better to give birth to a son rather than a daughter. The Chinese believe that women are more expensive, meaning that when a daughter gets married she must come with an inheritance. Women are also seen as the weaker sex this leads many couples to choose to abort a female baby. This has lead to an increase in the male population. China is starting to see an increase in crimes against women such as rape and prostitution because the lack of enough female partners.
A program called “Care for Girls” has started providing social benefits. These benefits include cash payments to the families with only girls, to boost the status of girls. This program is in hopes of reducing the boy to girl ratio from 133.8/100 to 119.6/100 over the next three years. There are also many other programs sprouting all over China in order to achieve the same goal.
I believe in order for China to be a thriving nation more of these interventions should be mandated in order for the next generations to survive. After all women are the ones who give birth to children.