Child sex ratio
Encyclopedia
In India, the child sex ratio is the number of females per thousand males in a human population in the age group 0–6 years.. It is equal to the multiplicative inverse
of the sex ratio
(ratio
of male
s to female
s in a population
) under age seven. Demographic sex pattern in set of children up to 6 years can be used as an indication for future generation.
Multiplicative inverse
In mathematics, a multiplicative inverse or reciprocal for a number x, denoted by 1/x or x−1, is a number which when multiplied by x yields the multiplicative identity, 1. The multiplicative inverse of a fraction a/b is b/a. For the multiplicative inverse of a real number, divide 1 by the...
of the sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
(ratio
Ratio
In mathematics, a ratio is a relationship between two numbers of the same kind , usually expressed as "a to b" or a:b, sometimes expressed arithmetically as a dimensionless quotient of the two which explicitly indicates how many times the first number contains the second In mathematics, a ratio is...
of male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
s to female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
s in a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
) under age seven. Demographic sex pattern in set of children up to 6 years can be used as an indication for future generation.
Impact of skewed ratio
Impact of skewed sex ratio in which proportion of male children are more than females are already felt in few parts of India.- Having less women of marriageable age will mean that a significant proportion of men will have to delay their marriage.
- This will effect in delayed marriages and will also affect younger generations of men: when they reach their 20s. The males will not only be in surplus as a result of their generation sex ratio, but they will also face a backlog of older, unmarried men, who will still be in the “marriage market”.
- This bottleneck will not be solved exclusively by delaying marriages, due to the cumulative impact of skewed sex ratio on several generations.
- Finally, a proportion of men will subsequently have to forego marriage altogether. The poorest males will be disproportionately affected by this marriage squeeze, and that many among them may end up remaining single simply for lack of resources to marry. Indeed, they are likely to become the main victims of in the new marriage system, which will probably act as a strong destabilizing factor, and may translate into class-based tensions.