Q: Discuss the nature of regional variations in sex ratio in India, stating reasons thereof.

Model Answer:

India’s sex ratio mirrors structural inequalities. Barbara Miller (The Endangered Sex) maps a stark regional dichotomy: the culturally masculine North-West (adverse ratio) versus the egalitarian South/North-East. While NFHS-5 indicates overall progress (1020/1000), the Child Sex Ratio remains skewed.

Sociological Reasons for Variations

• Kinship Zones: Irawati Karve links northern patrilocal kinship to deep “daughter aversion.” Leela Dube’s “Seed and Earth” metaphor explains how northern patriarchy devalues women as mere receptacles, contrasting with southern endogamy and female autonomy.
• Agrarian Economy: Prem Chowdhry attributes Haryana’s adverse ratios to hyper-masculinity and patriarchal land-ownership. Conversely, Bina Agarwal connects better Southern/Eastern ratios to female property rights.
• The Prosperity Paradox: Mary E. John argues declining ratios reflect modernity, not backwardness. Capitalist medical nexuses make sex-selective abortions highly accessible among urban, prosperous classes.

Strict enforcement of the PCPNDT Act and behavioral campaigns like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have yielded marginal improvements in Sex Ratio at Birth in traditionally skewed states like Haryana, demonstrating state-led demographic correction.

Conclusion

Regional variations in sex ratios are not merely demographic statistics; they are vivid reflections of the deeply entrenched caste-class-gender nexus operating within a rapidly modernizing India.