South Asia: India, Giant of the Subcontinent - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 219

India' s most recent census in 2001. The gender gap reflects
widespread discrimination against women and is more ap-
parent in the north, where sex ratios are considerably
lower than in the south. The states of Rajasthan, Haryana,
and Uttar Pradesh, for instance, have much lower ratios
than Kerala or Tamil Nadu (Figure 8-5).
The major reasons for India' s severely imbalanced
sex ratio are cultural preferences and the availability of
abortion. Sex-selective abortion has been illegal since
1994, but the ban is rarely enforced. The practice has in-
creased in urban areas and among more affluent people
who have easier access to prenatal clinics.
Caste differences play a role in these discrepancies.
There are more higher-caste women in the northern
states, especially of the kshatriya or former military
groups. These castes are noted for their seclusion of
women from outside contacts, including education. Fe-
male illiteracy rates are high, and women are expected to
produce sons. Female children are not usually killed at
birth but rather neglected in their early years. Fed last
and less than their male siblings, their ailments ignored,
many girls never reach the age of five.

HEAL TH AND LIFE
India' s mortality has declined at a sluggish rate. For ex-
ample, maternal mortality rates have declined since the
1970s, although at 450 maternal deaths per 100,000
births in 2000, the rate remains higher than in many
other developing countries, and nearly 10 times higher
than in China.
Some 300,000 children (more girls than boys) die of
diarrhea every year. This is attributable to lack of sanita-
tion and neglect, especially of girls. According to the
United Nations, only 33 percent of under-fives with diar-
rhea receive oral rehydration and continued feeding. A
mere 18 percent of rural dwellers have access to im-
proved sanitation facilities. This figure is higher in cities
but still only 52 percent.
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pres-
sure, and cholesterol and other “Western-type” disorders
are on the rise. This is because socioeconomic improve-
ments have increased life expectancy in many areas. One
2006 study in Andhra Pradesh found that villages that
were more developed than average had progressed fur-
ther down the path of “Westernization” of their disease
patterns. Most deaths now occur from middle-age on-
ward, and the majority of these deaths are due to chronic
illnesses. Existing health-care infrastructures are unable
to cope with this trend.

Figure 8-4
This young woman is approximately 15 years old. She is a Dalit
and a member of the untouchable, sweeper caste. She lives in a
temporary tent on the outskirts of Udaipur in Rajasthan. Photo-
graph courtesy of B. A. Weightman.

only two children because they believe the policies to be
too strict and invasive of internal affairs.

SEX RATIOS DECLINING!
One of the most striking aspects of India' is population is
the fact that far more boys are born than girls. While
about 105 boys are born per 100 girls in most countries,
the ratio is about 113 per 100 in India. For every 1,000
men in India, there are only 929 women—a figure on the
decrease, which means that the situation is worsening.
This declining trend has existed unabated since the
first census in 1861. The deficit of young girls among chil-
dren under 7 years of age increased in every major state
with the exception of Kerala in the 1990s, according to