Gender issues of the younger population in India

Barun Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Indian Statistical Institute (retired)

Gender bias of some particular section of population is now a days regarded as an important social issue especially in developing countries. It is overwhelmingly observed from early, embryo stage if would have possible; to killing female fetus even in high societies so on to the extent of young girls where rampant practice of trafficking is happening particularly in some pockets by the so called international agencies. Atrocities of female children starts right from the household level to overall societies where they are considered as economic burden even if they have come under the preview of international bodies like UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and others. The present paper tries to investigate some of the important classifications in regard to the extent and variation of gender issues of population under 15 years of age in India. The study analyzes the data from censuses, National Sample Survey Organization and Sample Registration System for various years and tries to see the extent of dissimilarity between male and female children right from their early lives, missing numbers in census, status of health, education and child employment over time. An index of dissimilarity (ID) which was initially established in an earlier paper has been used to facilitate the analysis of the data. The study shows that significant gender difference existed in some cases or did not in others in the past. Presently there seem to exist both balance and imbalance between the two sexes in so far as the present data are concerned.