Policy Wise

Preferences for the male child is common across almost all Asian countries. Despite the economic growth of the recent decades, the situation hasn’t really improved and in some cases has actually deteriorated. But South Korea finally seems to be bucking the trend,
In South Korea, once one of Asia’s most rigidly patriarchal societies, a centuries-old preference [...]

A new report by Pricewaterhousecoopers makes an interesting revelation: Women may be doing better in business in developing countries than in the developed world,
Samuel DiPiazza, global head of PwC, said: “The cultural and societal norms and perceptions in developed countries are much deeper and long-lasting, especially when it comes to business.
“In some countries such as [...]

And so is sex-determination

Policy Wise has in the past pointed out that it is futile to regulate women’s reproductive choices. A new study by the World Health organization brilliantly illustrates this point,
“We now have a global picture of induced abortion in the world, covering both countries where it is legal and countries where [...]

Abortion is a right. So should be sex determination.

In a recent judgment, the Mumbai High Court has ruled against a plea seeking quashing of the amendment to Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT Act) which prohibits sex-determination. The petitioners argued that the PCPNDT Act in its current form was in conflict with [...]

Government’s decision to monitor pregnancies is a regressive step.

In a bid to check female infanticide and the worsening sex ratio, the Indian government has decided to make registration mandatory for all pregnancies. Further, abortions would now be allowed under certain circumstances.
On Thursday, Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury told Hindustan Times that she [...]

As children their parents gave them to serve Yellama – the goddess of fertility. Her cult is thousands of years old, her followers spread across southern India. “Being devadasis means we are slaves of the goddess. We have to visit this temple. We wear necklaces of pearls to show we are bound to Yellama. We [...]

Vivek has adequately responded to Abi’s post which argued that the standard of students being admitted in IIT is falling and blamed the proliferation of coaching centers for this malaise.
In his response to Vivek’s post, Abi points towards abysmal number of women in IITs’ and posits that this IS because JEE is biased against women. [...]

Admin note: A guest post by Chandni Malik.

According to a New Supreme Court Judgement, a unilateral decision by either the husband or wife not to have a child will amount to mental cruelty and constitute a ground for divorce.
A Bench comprising Justices B.N. Agrawal, P.P. Naolekar and Dalveer Bhandari said, a “unilateral decision of refusal [...]

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) findings, only about 57% of Indian women have heard of HIV/AIDS.
India has 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations, which is the world’s highest caseload. But the prevalence rate, in the country of 1.1 billion people, is much lower than in most of [...]

The new Palna Scheme proposed by the Union Women and Child Department aims at curbing female foeticide and to check the skewed sex ratio in the country.
The scheme will be implemented by the ministry of women and child development in coordination with state governments, and is likely to be put in place during the 11th [...]