Dr. Truong Chi Nguyen, head of the Birth Department at Ca Mau Province’s Obstetrics and Children's Hospital, consults pregnant women on reproductive health care and gender imbalance at birth. (Photo: VNA) Deputy director Pham Vu Hoang said the imbalance started in Vietnam in 2006 buthas increased fast in both urban and rural areas.
According to the General Office for Population and Family Planning, thecountry's sex ratio at birth has reached 112 boys per 100 girls in 2021. Vietnamis among three countries with the highest rate of sex ratio imbalance, behindonly China and India.
The northern midlands and mountains was the region with the highest level ofimbalance with 114.1 boys, followed by the Red River Delta with 110.6 boys.There are six provinces with a sex ratio at birth more than 120 boys – Bac Giang,Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Son La, Hoa Binh, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau.
Vietnam is one of few countries in the world where sex imbalance occurs at thefirst birth, which means that couples have pursued sex selection for theirfirst child.
The level of sex ratio imbalance at birth is much higher in couples with higheducation and good economic status.
Gender stereotypes are root causes
Hoang said there are many causes for the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam,but the root causes are gender stereotypes.
The idea of respecting men and disrespecting women is a traditional concept ofVietnamese people. This gender-biased concept has been perpetuated fromgeneration to generation, negatively affecting the position and role of womenin the family and society.
In addition, new techniques for sex selection have increased dramatically inrecent times. Most people can access ultrasound and abortion services for thepurpose of sex selection. Despite Government regulations prohibiting fetal sexdetermination and all forms of sex selection, it is still easy for mothers andfathers to obtain information about the sex of the fetus.
Weak social security for the elderly also contributes to the issue. In ruralareas, many elderly people do not have a pension or social assistance, so theyall depend on their children, mostly sons, to take care of them. When adaughter marries, she is considered to be joining her husband's family, so manypeople feel anxious and insecure for the future without a son.
In rural areas, hard work requires men's manual labour. Therefore, a son isboth a spiritual and economic pillar for the whole family. New social normssuch as small families with only one or two children are also a motivation forcouples to seek fetal sex selection services, he said.
“Gender imbalance has caused many consequences”, Hoàng stressed. “One of theimmediate and visible consequences is marriage pressure, caused by a shortageof women.”
It is forecasted that by 2034, Vietnam will have an excess of 1.5 million malesaged 15-49 and this number will increase to 2.5 million in 2059 if the currentsex ratio at birth remains unchanged.
This will make it difficult for many men to get married, especially those withlow socio-economic backgrounds, he said.
The increase in the sex ratio at birth also poses high risk of genderinequality, child marriage, inbreeding marriage and violence and trafficking inwomen and girls. Many women are forced to have multiple abortions to get a son,adversely affecting their health, increasing the cost of health care andreducing the income of the whole family, he said.
Worse, women may be subjected to stigma, discrimination, and even violence dueto son preference. The value and status of a woman without a son is reduced, headded.
Men's role re-evaluated
The gender imbalance at birth will only be completely resolved when long-termand durable solutions are taken to deal with son preference, improving thestatus of women, and making an equal society, Hoang emphasised.
The Government's project on controlling gender imbalance at birth in the2016-2025 period has raised people's awareness of the issue. The sex ratio atbirth has decreased from 112.8 boys in 2015 to 112.1 boys in 2020, reaching theproject's target.
But more should be done to advance the role of men in their families andpromote men’s participation in housework.
The Responsible Father Programme is an example. The project, jointly conductedby the Vietnam Farmers’ Union and the United Nations Population Fund, engagesmen to take part in building healthy and equal relationships in their families.
The project has been piloted in northern Bac Giang, central Quang Binh andsouthern Ba Ria – Vung Tau provinces and has shown positive results.
A Facebook group, created by the Centre for Children and Development and theUnited Nations Population Fund, has attracted hundreds of men as it helps tocreate a forum for fathers to share and retell their stories as well as helpthem re-evaluate their own behavior and their roles in the family.
Nguyen Thị Thu Ha, Communication Director of the Centre for Children andDevelopment, said that fathers have discussed parenting issues andmother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships every week.
The discussion with the support of psychologists and educators has helpedfathers have different perspectives on gender equality, she added./.
VNA
