Vietnam must reduce gender imbalance

Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam must be rectified, or it will produce unpredictable consequences and threaten population stability and the sustainable development of the country, the Ministry of Health’s General Office for Population and Family Planning said.

Deputy director Pham Vu Hoang said the imbalance started in Vietnam in 2006 but has increased fast in both urban and rural areas.

According to the General Office for Population and Family Planning, the country’s sex ratio at birth has reached 112 boys per 100 girls in 2021. Vietnam is among three countries with the highest rate of sex ratio imbalance, behind only China and India.

The northern midlands and mountains was the region with the highest level of imbalance with 114.1 boys, followed by the Red River Delta with 110.6 boys. There are six provinces with a sex ratio at birth more than 120 boys – Bac Giang, Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Son La, Hoa Binh, and Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

Vietnam is one of few countries in the world where sex imbalance occurs at the first birth, which means that couples have pursued sex selection for their first child.

The level of sex ratio imbalance at birth is much higher in couples with high education and good economic status.

Hoang said there are many causes for the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam, but the root causes are gender stereotypes.

The idea of respecting men and disrespecting women is a traditional concept of Vietnamese people. This gender-biased concept has been perpetuated from generation to generation, negatively affecting the position and role of women in the family and society.

In addition, new techniques for sex selection have increased dramatically in recent times. Most people can access ultrasound and abortion services for the purpose of sex selection. Despite Government regulations prohibiting fetal sex determination and all forms of sex selection, it is still easy for mothers and fathers to obtain information about the sex of the fetus.

Weak social security for the elderly also contributes to the issue. In rural areas, many elderly people do not have a pension or social assistance, so they all depend on their children, mostly sons, to take care of them. When a daughter marries, she is considered to be joining her husband’s family, so many people feel anxious and insecure for the future without a son.

In rural areas, hard work requires men’s manual labour. Therefore, a son is both a spiritual and economic pillar for the whole family. New social norms such as small families with only one or two children are also a motivation for couples to seek fetal sex selection services, he said.

“Gender imbalance has caused many consequences”, Hoang stressed. “One of the immediate and visible consequences is marriage pressure, caused by a shortage of women.”