India's Bias for Boys

In India, aborting a fetus based on its sex is illegal, but the practice is common due to a societal preference for boys.

Forty miles outside Mumbai stands a large farmhouse painted cream with red trim. Inside, it is airy and welcoming.

“Two girls here, two girls there, and my mom and dad sleep in the living room,” she says.

Sixteen-year-old Shriti (not her real name) points out the large terrace, the living room, her bedroom.

Shriti is one of four girls. She has no brothers.

That is unusual in India. According to the most recent census, the country has far more boys than girls.

Public health experts say the skewed sex ratio is the result of an illegal but increasingly common practice, one that Shriti’s parents engaged in while attempting to have a son. It is a practice few talk about openly.

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