The stated causes of a declining female/male sex ratio do not seem to explain the data. The biggest drop of this ratio is seen between 1960 and 1971. Ultrasound diagnosis was not available in Goa at that time, so the gender of the fetus could not be determined. Consequently, sex-selective abortions were not possible then. Female infanticide was more common in the past than today, so the trend should have been reversed. The same is true with respect to neglect of the female child leading to higher mortality, and higher maternal mortality. The actual values for these measures are likely to have been much greater in the 1950s than in 1990s because of the enormous progress in medicine and improvement in medical care, despite all the practical problems in Goa.
None of the stated causes below, therefore, really account for the changing sex ratio at age 7 and above, since 1960. While sex-selective abortions is certainly a significant recent contributor, I think a major cause of the decline since 1960 is an overall decline in deaths due to infections and infectious diseases, many of which tended to affect males more than females (in some cases there were as many as 3 male deaths for every female death). Another reason might be a reduction in the mortality of young males due to violence and accidents, and their short- and long-term medical consequences. The latter might be offset to some extent by increased rate of automobile accidents today. Cheers, Santosh --- floriano goasuraj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Goa at crossroads > By Dr. M P Wagle and Dr. P S Kinnerkar > NT Panorama - March 30, 2008 >Similarly, the rapidly falling sex ration (females per >1000 males)should be considered a most serious threat >to the social fabric of Goa (table 2). >The problem is very serious. The Census of 2001 >identified several causes for this fall. The major >among them include: neglect of the girl child >resulting in their higher mortality at younger ages, >higher maternal mortality, sex selective abortions and >female infanticides (Government of India , 'Census >of India, Series I, India, 2001, p 91). Of these, sex >selective abortion appears to be the most dominant >cause for the fall in the sex ratio since the >beginning of 1990s in the entire country. In the case >of Goa, the fall was much more severe. While the fall >in the sex ratio in the population aged seven and >above, as reflected in the Censuses of 1991 and 2001, >was marginal, from 967 to 964 respectively, the ratio >in the age group 0-6 slipped faster from 964 to 933. >Such an unprecedented fall may be attributed to the >widespread abortion of female fetus owing to the >availability of sex determination facilities, higher >ratio of doctors per thousand population, high per >capita income which means that there is the capacity >to pay for the high cost of abortion, etc. > Table 2 [Sex Ratio of Goa -1990-2001] [Females per 1000 males] Year Sex ratio 1900 1,091 1910 1,108 1921 1,120 1931 1,088 1940 1,084 1950 1,128 1960 1,066 1971 981 1981 975 1991 967 2001 961
