Today I was browsing through Netflix, and came across the
documentary "It's a Girl," about the rising rates of gendercide in the
world today. Gendercide is a term that refers to the selective killings of
members of one sex in particular. Baby girls are particularly at risk for this,
as the most common instance of this occurs almost immediately after the girl is
born, by smothering or some other such method, usually by their own parents.
The documentary deals specifically with the countries of India and China; these
two countries have some of the largest and most rapidly growing populations in
the world, and for much of these nations’ poor, a daughter is seen as a
financial burden. One of the quotes they showed between scenes was a proverb
that said “raising a daughter is like watering your neighbor’s tree.” This
seems to reference how families raise daughters that eventually largely cut
ties with her family once she is married, and in addition to that, her family
must pay for her dowry when she is married. The part that surprised me so much
about the stories was that the majority of the mothers who were interviewed
showed no remorse for killing their children; they believed that they were
doing their daughters a favor by killing them humanely as babies rather than
subjecting them to a life of pain and oppression as women. I find it heartbreaking
that so many of these women honestly believe that an early death would be
preferable to their lot in life. This whole situation makes apparent the low
value that is placed on women in countries around the world.
Personally as a mother of a only female child, at times I do want to have a son. But I would never treat my daughter as less than because she is not male. When I think about it I always wanted a boy first so that he could protect those to come but who's to say that a first female child couldn't protect and guide as a male child would. Just think all men come from a women.
ReplyDeleteReally great post, sounds like a must watch documentary. I am unsure if I have a preference for the gender of my children or if I even want kids in the first place. But if I do, I want to make sure I raise them to view whatever gender they are as broadly as possible. I don't want to confine my kids into the boy/girl roles that just don't fit many individuals.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is really interesting. It would be interesting to hear the reasons specific to India and China's culture that a girl would have a hard life. So hard another female who has experienced the culture would say death is better for her daughter. I also really appreciate Shaneqah's comment about being a mother to a female in our culture, and why she first preferred a son.
ReplyDeletePersonally I find this incredibly sad and disturbing. Later down the road when i am ready to have kids the only thing i want is a healthy child, I could care less what the gender is. As for killing your child after they have been born, that is murder and it is cruel. Sounds like an interesting documentary but the issue makes me sick to my stomach
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