World Population Day 11-7: Boys overtake girls

Gender inequality is serious in our country when the current ratio is 112 boys born for every 100 girls. Despite many warnings, families still find ways to have boys with the help of ultrasound technology to choose the gender of the fetus.

like son

Although she is only 15 weeks pregnant, Ms. Tran Thi Dung, 34 years old, living on Ngo Be Street, Tan Binh District (HCMC) has gone to at least 2 obstetric clinics to have an ultrasound to see if her first child is a boy or a girl. "My husband is the only son in the family, so his parents really want a boy," said Ms. Dung.

Giving birth to three daughters in a row, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai An, 32 years old in Dinh Quan, Dong Nai province, was not only complained by her husband's family but also became increasingly indifferent to her husband. Pregnant with her fourth child, but when an ultrasound discovered another princess, Ms. An and her husband decided to abort!

Ultrasound to choose the sex of the fetus is one of the reasons
causing the current gender gap. Photo: LN

This time, An was 4 months pregnant, and as usual, she went for an ultrasound. Holding the ultrasound results and walking out of the clinic on 3/2 Street, District 10, An shouted to her family: "The doctor said it looks like Dad!"

A doctor working at a private obstetrics clinic on Hung Vuong Street (District 5) said: "Although we know that the Population Ordinance prohibits announcing the gender of the fetus, women still come to our clinic. It would be strange not to announce it."

Partly because of fear of losing customers, and partly because of verbal announcements that are less likely to be discovered, most private maternity clinics freely determine the sex of the fetus. The practice of ultrasound to determine the sex of the fetus is widespread not only in private clinics and hospitals, but also in public hospitals.

The number of single men is increasing.

“With the gender gap increasing, there is a risk that boys born after 2005 will not be able to find a wife by 2030,” said population experts. In Ho Chi Minh City, the gender ratio was 110 boys/100 girls in 2008, but now it has jumped to 115 boys/100 girls.

According to Ms. To Thi Kim Hoa - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the gender imbalance has increased significantly in districts 5, 6, 8, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi and Can Gio. In particular, Binh Chanh district has a ratio of 121 boys/100 girls, while the remaining districts have a ratio of 114 to 117 boys/100 girls, higher than the standard of 103 boys/100 girls.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha - Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City said that there are months where the number of boys born here is 36% higher than the number of girls. "There are months where out of 1,000 children born here, there are up to 700 boys" - Dr. Ha gave an example of the current gender imbalance.

Meanwhile in Hanoi, if in 2004 the ratio of boys to girls was at the acceptable level, in 2010 this ratio was 117 boys/100 girls. In the first six months of 2011, the difference was 118 boys/100 girls.

According to experts, from 2030, in Vietnam, the number of men will be in excess of women of the same age. And, by 2035, the surplus of adult men will account for 10%.

According to Tien Phong