Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - As Vietnam is listed among three countries withthe highest rate of sex ratio imbalance at birth, local authorities are makingefforts to raise public awareness and tighten regulations to shorten the gap.
According to the latest report on the world’s population conducted by UnitedNations Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam’s imbalance rate in 2019 was 111.5boys per 100 girls, behind only China and India - the two most populouscountries in the world.
Vietnam has faced a sex ratio imbalance at birth since 2006.
Pham Vu Hoang, deputy head of General Office for Population and FamilyPlanning, said the imbalance started in Vietnam late but has increased fasterthan in other Asian countries.
In 2006, the country's sex ratio at birth started to exceed normal levels(104-106 boys to 100 girls). That ratio increased to 111.2 boys in 2010 and112.8 boys in 2015. The increase was different between urban and rural areasand among regions.
The general population and housing census in 2019 showed the ratio was higherin rural areas than urban. The Red River Delta in the north had the highestlevel of imbalance.
Ha Thi Quynh Anh, a gender and human right specialist from the UNFPA,attributed the sex imbalance at birth in Vietnam to biased gender selection.
Many families in Vietnam prefer sons to inherit the home when parents have diedand take over ancestor worship. Men are believed to be stronger than women sosons are trusted to work and take care of parents when they get old.
Many families abuse the development of technology to select their children’sgender. Decreased family size has forced parents to choose to have at least oneson, she said.
Those reasons resulted in 40,800 unborn girls in Vietnam each year. This figureis calculated based on the difference between the estimated number of girlsborn following natural laws and the actual number of girls born in a year, Anhsaid.
International and Vietnamese studies have shown that sex imbalance at birth canlead to unpredictable consequences for society, the economy and politicalsecurity.
There will be more men at marriage age than women, breaking the familystructure, Pham Vu Hoang, deputy head of the General Office for Population andFamily Planning said.
International experts have predicted that if the sex imbalance at birth is notcontrolled, by 2050, Vietnam will have a surplus of about 2.3 to 4.3 millionmen. That leads to some men having to marry late and many of them being unableto.
The increase in the sex ratio at birth also increases inequality such as theearly marriage of women, increasing rate of divorce and remarriage of women,gender violence and woman trafficking, Hoang said.
UNFPA expert Ha Thi Quynh Anh said biased gender selection will put women underpressure to give birth to sons, leading to abortion or multiple births untilthey have a boy. This affects the physical, mental, reproductive and sexualhealth of women. Men will find it difficult to look for a partner to marry whenthey mature, especially men with low education, from poor families or who livein disadvantaged areas.
Vietnam has not felt the consequences of sex ratio imbalance at birth yet, butexperiences from China and India show the consequences. Vietnam needs properpolicies to respond to the problem, she said.
Raising public awareness
To control the sex ratio imbalance at birth, Vietnam adopted a project in the2016-25 period which focuses on raising public awareness and encouraging theinvolvement of agencies, social organisations and the community to take action.
It aims to pull down the imbalance to a natural ratio of below 109 boys per 100girls by 2030.
Taking effect from next month, violations in counselling methods to obtain thedesired sex of a fetus will face tougher punishments, he said.
UNFPA expert Ha Thi Quynh Anh recommended Vietnam pay attention tocommunication to change social norms towards gender equality by putting gendereducation in the school curriculum.
To change social norms on gender, Vietnam should focus on changing publicbehaviours through communication channels to remove gender stereotypes and buildnew gender norms.
“We need to build positive male and female models as well as new genderstandards in the family. For example, men are willing to share the chores withwomen; women can do jobs previously thought only to be able to be done by men.Children can take the mother's surname or sons and daughters have equalinheritance rights.”
Vietnam needs to promote men's participation in gender equality and violenceprevention against women and girls. We should put forward social protectionpolicies for the elderly to eliminate the thought of having a son to rely on inold age, she said./.
According to the latest report on the world’s population conducted by UnitedNations Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam’s imbalance rate in 2019 was 111.5boys per 100 girls, behind only China and India - the two most populouscountries in the world.
Vietnam has faced a sex ratio imbalance at birth since 2006.
Pham Vu Hoang, deputy head of General Office for Population and FamilyPlanning, said the imbalance started in Vietnam late but has increased fasterthan in other Asian countries.
In 2006, the country's sex ratio at birth started to exceed normal levels(104-106 boys to 100 girls). That ratio increased to 111.2 boys in 2010 and112.8 boys in 2015. The increase was different between urban and rural areasand among regions.
The general population and housing census in 2019 showed the ratio was higherin rural areas than urban. The Red River Delta in the north had the highestlevel of imbalance.
Ha Thi Quynh Anh, a gender and human right specialist from the UNFPA,attributed the sex imbalance at birth in Vietnam to biased gender selection.
Many families in Vietnam prefer sons to inherit the home when parents have diedand take over ancestor worship. Men are believed to be stronger than women sosons are trusted to work and take care of parents when they get old.
Many families abuse the development of technology to select their children’sgender. Decreased family size has forced parents to choose to have at least oneson, she said.
Those reasons resulted in 40,800 unborn girls in Vietnam each year. This figureis calculated based on the difference between the estimated number of girlsborn following natural laws and the actual number of girls born in a year, Anhsaid.
International and Vietnamese studies have shown that sex imbalance at birth canlead to unpredictable consequences for society, the economy and politicalsecurity.
There will be more men at marriage age than women, breaking the familystructure, Pham Vu Hoang, deputy head of the General Office for Population andFamily Planning said.
International experts have predicted that if the sex imbalance at birth is notcontrolled, by 2050, Vietnam will have a surplus of about 2.3 to 4.3 millionmen. That leads to some men having to marry late and many of them being unableto.
The increase in the sex ratio at birth also increases inequality such as theearly marriage of women, increasing rate of divorce and remarriage of women,gender violence and woman trafficking, Hoang said.
UNFPA expert Ha Thi Quynh Anh said biased gender selection will put women underpressure to give birth to sons, leading to abortion or multiple births untilthey have a boy. This affects the physical, mental, reproductive and sexualhealth of women. Men will find it difficult to look for a partner to marry whenthey mature, especially men with low education, from poor families or who livein disadvantaged areas.
Vietnam has not felt the consequences of sex ratio imbalance at birth yet, butexperiences from China and India show the consequences. Vietnam needs properpolicies to respond to the problem, she said.
Raising public awareness
To control the sex ratio imbalance at birth, Vietnam adopted a project in the2016-25 period which focuses on raising public awareness and encouraging theinvolvement of agencies, social organisations and the community to take action.
It aims to pull down the imbalance to a natural ratio of below 109 boys per 100girls by 2030.
Taking effect from next month, violations in counselling methods to obtain thedesired sex of a fetus will face tougher punishments, he said.
UNFPA expert Ha Thi Quynh Anh recommended Vietnam pay attention tocommunication to change social norms towards gender equality by putting gendereducation in the school curriculum.
To change social norms on gender, Vietnam should focus on changing publicbehaviours through communication channels to remove gender stereotypes and buildnew gender norms.
“We need to build positive male and female models as well as new genderstandards in the family. For example, men are willing to share the chores withwomen; women can do jobs previously thought only to be able to be done by men.Children can take the mother's surname or sons and daughters have equalinheritance rights.”
Vietnam needs to promote men's participation in gender equality and violenceprevention against women and girls. We should put forward social protectionpolicies for the elderly to eliminate the thought of having a son to rely on inold age, she said./.
VNA
