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Preparing for the AP® Exam

SUBJECT TO DEBATE Female: An Endangered Gender?

Does the simple fact of being female expose a per- One problem that resulted from such an unbalanced
son to social and economic peril? In most societies, sex ratio is that men of marriageable age are increasingly
women are viewed as valuable, even powerful, particularly unable to find female partners. By one estimate, there may
as mothers, nurturers, teachers, and spiritual leaders. Yet be 30–40 million more young men than young women in
in other ways, to be female is to be endangered. We will China. Social analysts speculate that this will lead to human
consider this controversial idea with an eye to how demo- trafficking and violence against women. Meanwhile, par-
graphics and culture closely shape each other. ents and grandparents often are encouraged to lavish all
Many cultures have a marked preference for males. The their attention, wealth, and hopes on the only child, espe-
academic term describing this is androcentrism; you may be cially boys. For some families, this has led to the “little
familiar with related terms such as patriarchy (a social sys- emperor syndrome,” whereby the male heir becomes
tem in which the father is considered the head of a house- spoiled, unable to function independently, and even obese.
hold, with authority over women and children), male bias, or
simply sexism. Whether a preference for males is a universal Continuing the Debate
feature has been disputed. Some societies pass along forms As noted, most societies value females and males equally. For a
of their wealth, property, and prestige from mother to number of reasons, however, some societies show a clear prefer-
daughter, rather than from father to son. This is rare, how- ence for males. Keeping all this in mind, consider the following
ever, and the roots of cultural preference for males appear questions:
historically far-reaching and widespread. In most societies, • Are Chinese and Indian families somewhat justified in priori-
positions of economic, political, social, and cultural prestige tizing the birth of a son?
and power are held largely by men. Sons carry on family • According to a recent report, Americans using technology to
names and, with them, family honor and wealth. In some select their baby’s gender are, unlike the Chinese, more likely
societies, sons are obligated to take care of their aging par- to choose to have a girl. Why do you think there is a difference
ents, but there is no such expectation for daughters. When between male and female preference in these two societies?
girls marry, they are expected to move into their husbands’
homes and help care for their in-laws, but not their parents.
Not surprisingly, in many places a son is widely viewed as
an asset, a future breadwinner and caregiver for his parents
in their advanced age, but a daughter is generally seen as
a liability. A cultural premium is placed on producing male
children. The birth of a boy may be celebrated and rewarded,
while the birth of a girl may be penalized. In countries that
have enacted strict population control programs, such as
China, or in countries with an obsession with sons, for exam-
ple, India, this has resulted in severe pressure on couples to
have boys. In both China and India, female-specific abor-
tions or infanticide, neglect, and inadequate nutrition for
girls has resulted in a glaring gender imbalance. The result is
a skewed sex ratio. In 2004, China recorded a sex ratio at birth
of 121.2 boys for every 100 girls. The ratio has been falling This cherished grandson poses with his grandparents. (Lane Oatey/
Blue Jean Images/Getty Images)
recently but it is still one of the world’s most imbalanced.

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