Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, Ministry of Health , shared at the training program - Photo: DL
The Department of Population (Ministry of Health ) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organized a training course to update information for the press on how to communicate about gender-biased sex selection on November 28 and 29 in Hai Phong.
There will be a surplus of 1.5 million men by 2034.
Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, Ministry of Health, said that according to the forecast of the General Statistics Office, if the gender imbalance at birth remains as high as it is now, Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million men by 2034 and increase to 2.5 million by 2059.
Vietnam has had a gender imbalance since 2006, with a sex ratio at birth of 109.8 boys/100 girls.
“We have controlled the rate of increase in the sex ratio at birth, but it is still high, since 2012 it has always been above 112 boys/100 girls (112 in 2023),” said Ms. Thom.
If the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam continues to increase and is not controlled, it will leave unpredictable consequences for society, economy, and even political security. Such as affecting individuals, families, communities, society, and social norms. The status and role of women are increasingly degraded, and women have become commodities of human trafficking and prostitution.
To address the gender imbalance at birth, Vietnam has applied interventions such as supporting the enhancement of the role and status of women and girls, implementing gender equality policies, and not selecting the sex of the fetus in any form.
Causes of sex selection
Sharing about gender selection based on gender stereotypes, Ms. Ha Thi Quynh Anh - senior expert on gender and human rights of UNFPA - said that while in the past many families had 7-8 children in an attempt to have a son, this has changed today. With the development of modern medicine, the number of children born is limited, so many families have chosen to actively choose gender.
Many parents try to intervene in the sex of their children in an effort to have at least one son. This is gender-biased sex selection.
Currently, in Vietnam, the sex ratio at birth is maintained at over 112 boys/100 girls. Of which, 3 provinces have a sex ratio higher than 125/100 (Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh), this is the highest ratio in the world.
Meanwhile, the natural ratio is from 102-106 boys/100 girls. If this natural ratio is not maintained, it will lead to gender imbalance.
“We prevent services that provide fetal sex selection, but that is only a superficial solution and very difficult. Only when there is no longer gender prejudice, the mentality of having to have a son, a family must have both boys and girls to be complete… can we solve the problem of fetal sex selection,” Ms. Quynh Anh commented.
Ms. Nguyen Van Anh - Director of the Center for Applied Science Research on Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) - said that the root cause is the concept of valuing men, leading many families to choose to have sons instead of having children naturally.
“Gender stereotypes have been formed for hundreds of years and are deeply ingrained in the psychology of many generations. Therefore, we need a lot of time and effort to change those stereotypes.
We also clearly see that women have a better position in society today. They have been given the opportunity to develop their strengths. The notion that men must be the pillars of the family is no longer true in the current context.
And when boys and girls are treated, developed, and given the same jobs, gender stereotypes will gradually change. Gender equality will destroy the notion that having a son is necessary, and instead, being able to have children and become parents is happiness for everyone,” said Ms. Van Anh.
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