Haryana districts with high literacy have low sex ratio
The story of national shame continues for the second decade in a row for Haryana.
The story of national shame continues for the second decade in a row for Haryana. Provisional census figures for 2011 show that two districts of the state – Jhajjar and Mahendergarh – have the lowest child sex ratio in the country.
In Haryana,there are 18.02 lakh boys between 0 and 6 years of age. In the same age group,there are only 14.95 lakh girls,a difference of 3 lakh.
Though the overall child sex ratio in the state has improved from 819 in 2001 to 830 in 2011 in some districts there is a sharp slide.
However,the study shows an interesting correlation between literacy levels and the sex ratio. The sex ratio among Haryanas literate population is as low as 692 though it has risen from 617 in 2001.
In contrast,the child sex ratio has been found to be highest in districts that have the lowest levels of literacy,specially among women.
Mewat,one of the most backward regions,has registered an overall literacy of 56.1 per cent,with only 37.6 per cent literate women. But the region has the best child sex ratio in the state at 903 girls per 1000 boys. In fact,it is the only region to cross the 900 mark.
The next best child sex ratio is in Palwal district at 862:1000 where the literacy rate is the third worst in Haryana,with 56.4 per cent literate women.
The correlation continues with Sirsa,where literacy is among the lowest in the state,recording a sex ratio of 852:1000. Though sporadic data from other parts of the country over the years had been pointing towards a trend that the educated classes are increasingly indulging in female foeticide,it is probably for the first time that a direct correlation has been established.
It is a correlation that is too obvious too ignore. There is a distinct inverse relationship of sex ratio with literacy, said Neerja Sekhar,director of census operations,Haryana.
Literacy rate is in per cent,so we have converted it into per 1000 to bring it on the same scale as sex ratio and then placed it together. It is an interesting correlation but since we dont have other supplementary data,we have not tested this hypothesis yet, she added.
Jhajjar and Mahendergarh,where the child sex ratio has dipped the most in the past decade,have shown a substantial increase in literacy,especially among women.
In 2001,the share of literate women in Mahendergarh was around 54 per cent of the total literate population and the sex ratio was 818. In 2011,the percentage of literate women has gone up to over 65 but the sex ratio has come down to 778 from 818.
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