The Economist headlined as their cover story an article titled “Gendercide: The War on Baby Girls,” the most important take-away being: cultural appreciation for the value of girls rather than economic development prevents gendercide:

 

“It affects rich and poor; educated and illiterate; Hindu, Muslim, Confucian and Christian alike. Wealth does not stop it. Taiwan and Singapore have open, rich economies. Within China and India the areas with the worst sex ratios are the richest, best-educated ones.”

 

“In the 1990s South Korea had a sex ratio almost as skewed as China’s. Now, it is heading towards normality. It has achieved this not deliberately, but because the culture changed. Female education, anti-discrimination suits and equal-rights rulings made son preference seem old-fashioned and unnecessary.” [I’m not a Christian fundamentalist psycho — and hardly understand what Christianity even means — but it is worth noting South Korea is now more “Christian” than Europe and most parts of the United States; this may be a factor.]

 

“And all countries need to raise the value of girls. They should encourage female education; abolish laws and customs that prevent daughters inheriting property; make examples of hospitals and clinics with impossible sex ratios; get women engaged in public life—using everything from television newsreaders to women traffic police. Mao Zedong said “women hold up half the sky.” The world needs to do more to prevent a gendercide that will have the sky crashing down.”