Awareness Gaps: The Case Regarding Sex Ratio in a Female Deficit Region of Haryana, India

Sunil K. Gulati, Government of Haryana, India
Aswini Nanda, Population Research Centre, India

This paper explores the awareness of youth regarding the consequences of declining sex ratio in a female-deficit region in India, as well as their coping strategies. This research used primary data collected from a survey of 429 male youth in two forward and backward districts in the state of Haryana, and from follow-up in-depth interviews with 44 of these respondents. The knowledge, attitude, and practices of youth regarding the sex ratio, and the coping strategies are explored in detail. We found that although these young men are concerned about the outcomes of the adverse sex ratio, they are relatively unaware of the degree of the problem or its proximity to their own lives. Since almost all report the desire to marry, with no preferred gender for the first child, it is a great window of opportunity to engage them in a dialogue about this critical issue.