The worldwide war on baby girls
Technology, declining fertility and ancient prejudice are combining to unbalance societies
XINRAN XUE, a Chinese writer, describes visiting a peasant family in the Yimeng area of Shandong province. The wife was giving birth. “We had scarcely sat down in the kitchen”, she writes (see article), “when we heard a moan of pain from the bedroom next door…The cries from the inner room grew louder—and abruptly stopped. There was a low sob, and then a man's gruff voice said accusingly: ‘Useless thing!'
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline "The worldwide war on baby girls"
From the March 6th 2010 edition
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