The need for sons to continue the family line, as well as the development of prenatal screening techniques, are the fundamental causes of the increasingly serious gender gap.
The General Statistics Office's Population, Labor and Employment Report for the fourth quarter and the entire year of 2023 shows that Vietnam's sex ratio at birth in 2023 is 112 boys/100 girls. This ratio does not meet the 2023 plan target of 111.2 boys/100 live births, and is assessed as "the gender imbalance at birth in our country remains high".
"Thus, the sex ratio of newborns in our country is quite high, above normal and still tends to increase, due to parents' choices, counseling and technical interventions to give birth to boys," said Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Institute for Population, Family and Children Research, on January 4.
Gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam appeared later than in other countries in the world but increased rapidly and spread widely, occurring in both urban and rural areas, especially high in the Red River Delta and the Northern Midlands and Mountains. Some provinces with high ratios are Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Hanoi and Son La.
According to statistics, during the period 1999-2005, the trend of gender ratio fluctuations in Vietnam fluctuated between 104 and 109 boys/100 girls. However, from 2006 to now, when our country achieved the replacement fertility level, the gender imbalance began to show signs of increasing significantly.
In 2022, this ratio was 113.7 boys per 100 girls, which is considered serious. In 2020, it was 112.1 and in 2019, it was 111.5 girls per 100 boys. Thus, this ratio has increased and decreased over the years but is still higher than the natural balance. The normal biological standard is 104-106 boys per 100 girls.
Mr. Mai Xuan Phuong, former Deputy Director of the Department of Communication and Education, Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ), said that Vietnam is one of the rare countries with a gender imbalance at birth right from the first child and especially high in the third birth or more. That is, couples have thought about choosing the gender at birth right from the first birth. In addition, the level of gender imbalance at birth is much higher in couples with high education levels and a good economic situation.
Three baby boys were born at Hanoi Maternity Hospital. Photo: Provided by the hospital
According to experts, the preference for sons is the root cause of the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam. The idea of preferring sons over daughters, having sons to continue the family line is deeply ingrained in Vietnamese people, regardless of rich or poor, high or low education. Therefore, those who have the conditions to "touch" advanced technology (have money and access to information) will have sex selection if they have not yet given birth to a son.
In addition, our country’s social security system for the elderly is underdeveloped. In rural areas, many elderly people do not have pensions or social benefits, while they need medical care. Everything depends on the ability of their children to support them, and according to traditional family concepts, the responsibility mainly belongs to the son. Therefore, many people feel worried and insecure when they get old if they do not have a son.
"Due to the pressure to reduce birth rates, each couple only has 1-2 children but wants to have a son. Therefore, they have used prenatal sex selection services to meet both of the above goals," said Mr. Phuong, adding that the wealthier and more knowledgeable people are, the more likely they are to have access to sex selection methods.
Mr. Cu acknowledged that if the gender imbalance at birth continues to increase and is not controlled, it will have a major impact on the population structure, creating a surplus of men, leaving unpredictable social and economic consequences, threatening the stability of the national and global population.
The General Statistics Office predicts that Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million men aged 15 to 49 by 2034 if the current gender imbalance at birth remains high. By 2050, this number will be 2.3 to 4.3 million men who cannot find wives. In the long term, this will lead to serious consequences such as a shortage of women, which will increase the pressure on girls to marry early, drop out of school to start a family, and possibly increase the demand for prostitution, leading to increased trafficking of women.
"Men have difficulty finding a partner so they get married late, while women can get married earlier. Many men who cannot find a partner have to stay single, and the family structure of husband and wife, parents and children is broken," Mr. Cu said, adding that men may have to go abroad to get married.
Vietnam's Population Strategy is that by 2030, the sex ratio at birth will be below 109 boys/100 live births. Therefore, experts believe that it is necessary to change people's perception of having a son or a daughter. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the status of women and girls, towards an equal society, without male preference or female discrimination.
The solution is to implement models to enhance the role and status of women and girls and build appropriate standards and values to effectively implement gender equality, and praise families that give birth to two children, only one of whom is a girl. Gender selection at birth is strictly prohibited.
Le Nga
Source link
Comment (0)