Political Science Psda: Dhriti Dr. Garima Singh

POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSDA
Submitted by Supervised to
Dhriti Dr. Garima Singh
Enrollment no.- 06517703820
Roll No. 10
Course- BA LLB
Section- II B
Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies
Vivekananda School of Law and Legal Studies

2021
FEMALE INFANTICIDE IN INDIA
Meaning of Female Infanticide

Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of newborn female children.
In countries with a history of female infanticide, the modern practice of
gender-selective abortion is often discussed as a closely related issue.
Female infanticide is a major cause of concern in several nations such
as China, India and Pakistan. It has been argued that the low status in
which women are viewed in patriarchal societies creates a bias against
females.
Section 315 of the Indian Penal Code defines infanticide as the killing
of an infant in the 0–1 year age group. The Code uses this definition to
differentiate between infanticide and numerous other crimes against
children, such as foeticide and murder.
Some scholarly publications on infanticide use the legal definition.

Others, such as the collaboration of Renu Dube, Reena Dube and
Rashmi Bhatnagar, who describe themselves as "postcolonial
feminists", adopt a broader scope for infanticide, applying it from
foeticide through to femicide at an unspecified age.
Barbara Miller, an anthropologist, has "for convenience" used the term

to refer to all non-accidental deaths of children up to the age of around
15–16, which is culturally considered to be the age when childhood
ends in rural India.
She notes that the act of infanticide can be "outright", such as a

physical beating, or take a "passive" form through actions such as
neglect and starvation. Neonaticide, being the killing of a child within
24 hours of birth, is sometimes considered as a separate study.
Female Infanticide in India
Female infanticide in India has a history spanning centuries. Poverty,
the dowry system, births to unmarried women, deformed infants,
famine, lack of support services and maternal illnesses such as
postpartum depression are among the causes that have been proposed
to explain the phenomenon of female infanticide in India.
Although infanticide has been criminalised in India, it remains an

under-reported crime due to the lack of reliable data. In 2010, the
National Crime Records Bureau reported approximately 100 male and
female infanticides, producing an official rate of less than one case of
infanticide per million people.
The Indian practice of female infanticide and of sex-selective abortion

have been cited to explain in part a gender imbalance that has been
reported as being increasingly distorted since the 1991 Census of India,
although there are also other influences that might affect the trend.
Reasons for female infanticide in India

 The anti-female bias is by no means limited to poor families.
Much of the discrimination is to do with cultural beliefs and
social norms. These norms themselves must be challenged if this
practice is to stop.
 The practice of female de-selection in India could be attributed to

socio-economic reasons. Studies in India have indicated three
factors of female de-selection in India, which are economic
utility, sociocultural utility, and religious functions.
 The factor as to economic utility is that studies indicate that sons

are more likely than daughters to provide family farm labor or
provide in or for a family business, earn wages, and give old-age
support for parents.
 Upon marriage, a son makes a daughter-in-law an addition and

asset to the family providing additional assistance in household
work and brings an economic reward through dowry payments,
while daughters get married off and merit an economic penalty
through dowry charges.
 The sociocultural utility factor of female de-selection is that, as in

China, in India's patrilineal and patriarchal system of families is
that having at least one son is mandatory in order to continue the
familial line, and many sons constitute additional status to
families.
 The final factor of female de-selection is the religious functions

that only sons are allowed to provide, based on Hindu tradition,
which mandate that sons are mandatory in order to kindle the
funeral pyre of their late parents and to assist in the soul salvation
Response of the Indian Government

The government has initiated many steps and to bring an end to this
social evil, and to bring a change in the attitudes of the people in
society. It is in this direction that many laws, Acts and schemes have
been initiated, such as the following areas :
The Laws favouring Girl Education:

 The Right to Education Act, 2009, provides all children between
the ages of six and 14 years the right to free and compulsory
elementary education. Although this law is gender-neutral, it
gives a push to the education of girl children, by giving them
enhanced access to schooling.
The Laws favouring Women's right:

 The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian
Constitution in its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental
Duties and Directive Principles.
The Laws favouring Equal Property Share for a daughter:

 Since 2005, Hindu women have equal rights as men to inherit
property. Therefore, a girl can inherit the same amount of
property as her brother.
Other schemes for girl child:

 Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.
 Balika Saridhhi Yojana.
 Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana.
Conclusion
In conclusion, within a climate of poverty which is where infanticide is
most prevalent, the primary decision-making factor in killing girls over
boys is an economic choice based on cost-benefit analysis and
comparison between the two sexes. In societies such as India and
China, this leads to the girls being killed in favour of sons. This is done
in the face of daughter devaluation, son-preference and socio-economic
burdens such as dowry or the one-child policy. These assumptions are
a result of societal structures that perpetuate a gender-biased perception
of public roles, whilst the structures themselves are products of
attitudes towards the female role in familial and public life.

Political Science Psda: Dhriti Dr. Garima Singh

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Political Science Psda: Dhriti Dr. Garima Singh

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Political Science Psda: Dhriti Dr. Garima Singh

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies

Vivekananda School of Law and Legal Studies

Meaning of Female Infanticide

Some scholarly publications on infanticide use the legal definition.

Barbara Miller, an anthropologist, has "for convenience" used the term

She notes that the act of infanticide can be "outright", such as a

Although infanticide has been criminalised in India, it remains an

The Indian practice of female infanticide and of sex-selective abortion

Reasons for female infanticide in India

 The practice of female de-selection in India could be attributed to

 The factor as to economic utility is that studies indicate that sons

 Upon marriage, a son makes a daughter-in-law an addition and

 The sociocultural utility factor of female de-selection is that, as in

 The final factor of female de-selection is the religious functions

Response of the Indian Government

The Laws favouring Girl Education:

The Laws favouring Women's right:

The Laws favouring Equal Property Share for a daughter:

Other schemes for girl child:

You might also like