When it comes to having children, we are making a fair choice. The age of hankering for sons is passé; it’s daughters that an increasing number of couples are longing for.
Many couples are looking heavenwards to be blessed with a girl child. Says astrologer Dr NK Mittal, “Every month, at least two couples come to me seeking advice on how to have a daughter”.
Police records show that 40 per cent of the senior citizens murdered in the city were killed over property. That sons are sometimes behind the act has only increased daughter-preference.
Says Dr Mukesh Jain, an astrologer who also sees a steady stream of couples wanting a girl child, “The rise in incidents of property harassment by sons has definitely tilted the scales in favour of the girl child.”
“The attitude towards daughters has undergone a sea change, especially among educated professionals,” agrees Dr Rita Bakshi, a gynaecologist. “Several couples today are thrilled when their prayers for a daughter are answered,” she says. Dr Bakshi says she herself was desperate to have a daughter when she was expecting.
Couples are also thronging adoption agencies looking for bonny baby girls. Says Kamala Lekhwani, adoption officer of the Children of the World (Delhi) Society, “Girls are thought to be more understanding, attached to their families and more caring than boys. We have nearly 80 families on our waiting list, and 95 per cent want girls.”
{{/usCountry}}Couples are also thronging adoption agencies looking for bonny baby girls. Says Kamala Lekhwani, adoption officer of the Children of the World (Delhi) Society, “Girls are thought to be more understanding, attached to their families and more caring than boys. We have nearly 80 families on our waiting list, and 95 per cent want girls.”
{{/usCountry}}Loraine Campos, adoption officer of the Delhi Council for Child Welfare has received 50 requests for a girl child in the last 3 months. “Girls are believed to keep the family united,” she says.
Some just want to give the neglected girl child a good home. Say Shalini Kala and Sanjay Gupta, a couple who adopted
a baby girl this June, “For us, it makes no difference whether the child is a boy or a girl. But we decided to adopt a
girl child because girls are the more neglected ones.”
Clearly, it’s the age of the man, woman and girl child.