When will we stop choosing the sex of the baby?
2.5 million Vietnamese men are at risk of “unmarried”
Last March, the seminar “Solving the issue of sex selection at birth” was organized by the General Department of Population and Family Planning (Ministry of Health), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Ambassador The Norwegian restaurant has raised the serious gender imbalance in Vietnam.
According to information published at the seminar, it is forecasted that by 2034, Vietnam will face the risk of “excess” 1.5 million men aged 15 – 49; by 2059 this figure will be 2.5 million men (equivalent to 9.5% of the male population) if Vietnam’s sex ratio at birth does not decrease.
Specifically, the 2019 Population and Housing Census showed that an estimated 45,900 girls are not born in Vietnam every year, and this evidence suggests that the cause is fetal sex selection. before birth on the basis of gender stereotypes. Thus, 45,900 children were not born due to being girls.
Severe gender imbalance in Vietnam
It is also forecasted from the data of the 2019 Census that by 2034 there will be an “excess” of 1.5 million men aged 15-49, and by 2059, this number will be 2.5 million (corresponding to this figure). with 9.5% of the male population) if the current prevalence of sex imbalance at birth does not decrease. In 2019, Vietnam’s sex ratio at birth was 111.5 boys per 100 girls, while the “natural” sex ratio at birth was between 105-106 boys per 100 girls. 100 girls were born.
Why does Vietnam have a gender imbalance?
Sharing with VnExpress, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that Vietnam is a country heavily influenced by Confucianism with many customs and practices, including customs. “gender prejudice”. Many people believe that only sons can shoulder the responsibility of worshiping with their ancestors and carrying on the lineage. This is gender prejudice, the basic cause of the sex imbalance at birth.
Gender stereotypes are biased and negative perceptions, attitudes, and assessments about the characteristics, positions, roles and capabilities of men and women. For example, the stereotype that housework is women’s work, not men’s. Men are considered the breadwinner and main earner in the family.
These concepts have been formed for a long time, passed from generation to generation through education and learning, gradually creating inherent thoughts about the roles, abilities, and types of work that women have to do. and men can do it,” Quynh Anh said.
Ms. Quynh Anh analyzed the differences in roles, responsibilities, positions and powers of men and women created by society, causing disadvantages for both sexes, showing gender inequality. Globally, women’s income is about 50-90% of men’s income. In Africa and Asia, on average, women work 12-13 hours more per week than men. Of the 872 million illiterate people in the developing world, women account for two-thirds. In Vietnam alone, rural women work an average of 14 hours a day and earn 20-40% less than men’s income.
“All of this leads to an imbalance in the sex ratio at birth,” she said.
Catastrophic
Sex imbalance at birth is no longer a new phenomenon, but it is worrisome because of the consequences it can have on marriage and family, and on the general development of the whole society. In particular, in the current situation, measures to eliminate sex selection at birth have not been highly effective.
Vietnam is one of the countries where the gender imbalance appeared later than other countries, but it tends to increase very quickly and the situation is increasingly complicated.
The gender imbalance at birth can increase the risks and social evils such as: Abortion to choose the desired sex; domestic violence when the desire to have a son is not achieved; infection with sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS; shortage of labor resources in some specific occupations that need women…
In addition, due to the need to have a son, leading to a large disparity in population distribution between regions, there is a shortage of labor in some places and a surplus of labor in some places. The lack of women for marriage will lead to the tendency of men to marry late or not to marry, especially in cases of low economic conditions and low educational attainment. The proportion of elderly people who are helpless and need care from the community in the future will also increase.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: cafebiz.vn – Read the original article here
