Chandigarh families have liking for sons, shows census

A strong preference for male child has been reflected in the data of mothers of all age-groups in Chandigarh that was released by the census department earlier this week. Smaller families have more boys but bigger families either have equal or higher proportion of girls which reflect families go for repeated pregnancies for male child.

A strong preference for male child has been reflected in the data of mothers of all age-groups in Chandigarh that was released by the census department earlier this week. Smaller families have more boys but bigger families either have equal or higher proportion of girls which reflect families go for repeated pregnancies for male child.

In the families with more than three children, the proportion of girls was on par with boys or were more than them. (HT Photo)

As per the data, in Chandigarh, among women who had ever given birth to one child, 26,862 said that they had male child, while only 20,963 had a girl. Even among families having two children, over 29,000 women said they had two sons and women with two daughters were less than half the number (12,206). However, having a son and a daughter was the most common combination among all the family sizes as over 50,000 mothers were from this category.

In families having three children, the number of women with three sons is 6,781 and those with three daughters are only 3,166. There were 21,877 women having two sons and a daughter and 20,312 having one son and two daughters.

However, in the families with more than three children, the proportion of girls was on par with boys or were more than them. It also implies that families go for repeated pregnancies to have a male child.

Grim scenario in Punjab

In Punjab, too, the number of women who said that they had one son is 7.32 lakh but those with only a daughter were about 4.72 lakh, clearly reflecting bias in favour of a boy.

Even in families with two children, the number of those with two sons (7.61 lakh) is more than three times those with two daughters (2.15 lakh). However, the combination of a boy and girl is the most common among all the combinations at 12.25 lakh.

In families with three children, only 68,336 women said all three were girls, while the number of those with three sons was 2.10 lakh. The number of families with two sons and a daughter is 7.77 lakh and those with one son and two daughters is 5.81 lakh.

In families with four children, the number of boys is more.

Similar story in Haryana

Similar is the picture in Haryana which is notorious for its skewed sex ratio. The census data shows that 5.43 lakh women said they had a male child, while just 3.81 lakh said that they had only a girl child.

In families having two children, those having two sons were 6.63 lakh in number, while only 1.81 lakh had two daughters. Here also, the combination of having a daughter and a son was the most common with 9.5 lakh families.

In families with three and four children, the proportion of boys is more.

Son-struck city

One-child families

Only girl child: 20,963

Only male child: 26,862

Total: 47,825

Two-child families

Having two daughters: 12,206

Son and daughter: 50,406

Both sons: 29,005

Total: 91,617

Three-child families

All daughters: 3,166

Son and two daughters: 20,312

Two sons and a daughter: 21,877

All sons: 6,781

Total: 52,136

Four-child families

All daughters: 1,002

One son and three daughters: 6,737

Two sons and two daughters: 11,279

Three sons and a daughter: 5,601

All sons: 1,555

Total: 26,174