Sex-Selective Discrimination Common in Indian Wombs: US Study

Indian women carrying male foetuses are likelier to receive pre-natal medical care than their counterparts pregnant with girls, a new research by American scientists suggests, raising fresh, uncomfortable questions about the discrimination against girls that starts in the womb.

The scientists, who studied 30,000 Indian women captured in the National Family Health Survey, found that those pregnant with boys were more likely to go to pre-natal medical appointments, take iron supplements, deliver babies in healthcare facilities and receive tetanus shots.

“It paints a pretty dire picture of what’s happening,” said Leah Lakdawala, an assistant professor of economics at Michigan State University.

The research by Lakdawala and Prashant Bhardwaj of the University of California San Diego is published in the latest issue of the reputed Journal of Human Resources.