Autonomy of educated urban women and their attitude towards female foeticide in India

• Main Author: Dweepika Kumari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Bucharest 2015-05-01
• Series: Human Geographies: Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography
• Subjects: D.M. Index; Education; Empowerment; Female Foeticide; Women autonomy
• Online Access: http://humangeographies.org.ro/articles/91/a_91_2_dweepika.pdf

The Sex-ratio in India is continuously declining in spite of gradually increasing literacy among women. For long, it was thought that illiteracy and female subjugation is the reason why women are unable to stand for their rights. As such, large scale attempts and programs had been taken to increase the literacy of women. But in spite of the spread of female education and increasing women autonomy in Urban India, the female foeticide has continued to increase. Most of the results in the recent reports suggest that child sex ratio is inversely linked to female literacy and female economic activity rate, especially in urban India. Thus, this study is an attempt to prove that simply increasing the female literacy and autonomy without bringing about the change in mind-set will not be completely successful in combating the problem of female foeticide. It explores the level of autonomy being enjoyed by the Women of Patna, their attitude towards female foeticide and also the factors which arouse the son-preference in them.