Why is sex determination prevalent in India?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Why do couples hanker after male progeny? They believe that the female child will be a liability, that they will have to provide dowry for her. A male child on the other hand, they believe, will look after them in their old age. If the government takes care of these two aspects of the problem, the issue of sex determination will automatically disappear. In Muslim countries like Malaysia and Brunei, which I have visited, I found female children were welcome. This is perfectly understandable. They don’t practice dowry. On the contrary, they take ‘bride price’ for their girls.

I think the hue and cry over pre-selection is unnecessary. After all, there is no 100 percent foolproof technique to ensure male progeny. It is only conception with the Y chromosome or male factor gaining ascendancy during fertilisation which allows the possibility of a male offspring. Couples who would like to exercise the option and try their luck should be allowed to do so.

In western countries, they don’t face this problem because they do not have to confront issues like dowry. Of course, in eastern countries like China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the situation is somewhat similar to ours.