With a skewed boy-girl ratio at birth in recent years, there may be a surplus of three millions of men in Vietnam in 20 years time.

VietNamNet Bridge - With a skewed boy-girl ratio at birth in recent years, there may be a surplus of three millions of men in Vietnam in 20 years time. Can this troubling trend be bucked?

Boy preference lingers, alarming imbalance in central Vietnam

Vietnamese men face future alone

Population boom – a great challenge to Vietnam

“I am afraid that my son will not be able to find a wife,” says Hoang Tram Anh from Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district.

It’s a concern many mothers around the world may share. But the difference is Tram Anh’s son hasn’t even blown out the candles on his second birthday cake. So what’s the worry?

In a country where boys are traditionally preferred, selective abortion has left Vietnam with a lopsided gender balance. In recent years there has also been a steady stream of young Vietnamese women immigrating to South Korea and Taiwan, where ironically a similar predating gender imbalance has left men from farming and fishing villages ‘on the shelf’.

Many of the young mothers living in Tram Anh’s apartment block share her concern. In her living quarter there was one girl born in the last two years but eight boys. Everyone has eyes on Tram Anh’s young boy. If he were to marry a local, he’d certainly be spoiled for choice.

Official figures

Vietnam is still a traditional and Confucian society with a strong predilection for boys over girls – there’s an old Confucian adage that goes, “With one son you have a descendant, with 10 daughters you have nothing.” That’s a sentiment that is still common in ‘modern’ society. Coupled with fetus-screening technology it’s also a recipe for disaster.

Vietnam’s prevailing patriarchal system means male descendants perpetuate the family lineage. Ageing parents are also supported by their sons as girls move away to their husband’s family. Sons also tend to rise higher in society and so simply confer greater social status. So the pressure is on for every family. The results are troubling.

The Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in 2009 was 110.5 boys for 100 girls, from 106.2 to 100 in 2000, according to figures from Vietnam Population and Family Planning Department. It’s estimated that in a generation’s time Vietnam could have a surplus of three million men.

Urmila Singh, deputy representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said the figures had not reached “emergency level” but they were considered “remarkable”. She added that Vietnam would face many challenges if the situation is not addressed.

The SRB figures were particularly alarming in the Red River Delta where 115.3 boys were born for 100 girls last year. In some areas in the northern delta the ratio was as high as 130 boys for every 100 girls born. By contrast, the Central Highlands, one of the poorest areas in the country, had a much more balanced ratio.

“The richer people become, the more boys they want,” Pham Thi Khuyen, director of Hung Yen province’s Division for Population and Family Planning, recently told DPA. “As healthcare services become more developed and advanced, people have more opportunities to choose the gender of their children.”

An over abundance of males can result in an increase in prostitution and the trafficking of women. Females will also get married sooner. “We have seen examples of gender violation and women trafficking in Vietnam. These issues are high risk for vulnerable women and girls,” Singh said.

If women face more pressure to marry at a younger age, they will potentially also lose opportunities for education and formal employment, further distorting gender equality.

Unofficial figures indicated that there were more than 1.2 million abortions in Vietnam on average every year. Sexual determination and selective abortion are strictly forbidden in Vietnam. Clinics that breach these laws face fines of VND500,000 to VND15 million. Doctors can also have their licenses revoked.

In an effort to stop the rot, recently the government has purged books, magazines and websites that propagated gender determination.

But according to a recent report on the online paper VietnamNet clinics that provide ultrasound scan services capable of revealing the sex of unborn babies have mushroomed up in the capital. One doctor admitted most expectant mothers were interested in learning the sex of the unborn baby, and if doctors refused to reveal the gender, the clinic would lose business.

But some experts believe solutions have to be more far reaching rather than simply threatening offenders with fines and bans. For example, social security schemes for the elderly should also be strengthened so families are not so dependent upon sons in their old age.

As it is the pressure to have a son is cultural, political and economic – for Vietnam to reverse this trend it may take decades. Solutions must be both long term and short term.

Source: Timeout