In Gujarat, minorities have higher sex ratios

AHMEDABAD: The sex ratios in religious minorities in Gujarat are higher than that of Hindus. In Gujarat, the number of women per 1,000 men is 979 among Christians, 966 in Jains and 944 in Muslims.
This figure for Hindus is 916 women per 1,000 men. Among religious minorities in Gujarat, the sex ratio is the lowest among Sikhs (816). These figures were revealed by “Women and Men in India 2018”, a report released by the Union government.According to the report, the sex ratios of Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists (879) is lower than the state average of 919.

Jains in Gujarat have the second highest sex ratio as a group in the country after Kerala as a whole. The southern state has 1,018 women per 1,000 men. The report also states that the sex ratio in Gujarat is much below the national average of 943. Only Jains in Gujarat have a higher sex ratio than the national average. The Jains’ national sex ratio is 954.
Earlier, Census 2011 data had revealed that the child sex ratio (between 0 and 6 years) in Gujarat is 890 girls per 1,000 boys. On this count, Muslims in the state have the highest child sex ratio of 934 as compared to Hindus (898), Christians (927), Sikhs (861), Buddhists (922), and Jains (881). However, the report says that the child sex ratio is declining in the state.
Gaurang Jani, a sociologist, said that the sex ratio among tribal people is higher than that of other Hindus. He said that if the sex ratio for other Hindus was calculated without considering the numbers of tribal people, the figure would much worse as several Hindu castes have very poor sex ratios. He said there has been no social reform in this aspect in Gujarat since it was formed. Such reforms have never been on the agenda of any party, he said. The skewed sex ratio of Gujarat had hit the headlines when communities such as Patels realized that it was hard to find brides within their community.
“Serious thought has not been given to improving the sex ratio in the state,” Jani said. “Among religious minorities, female infanticide is considered a sin. Christians are against abortion.” He said that among the Hindus, performing the last rites is thought to be the responsibility of only sons. “As a result, while other communities do not give preference to sons, Hindus do,” he said.