Female Infanticide in Rural South India

Abstract

Infanticide has been a widespread and longstanding practice and has been the subject of many accounts. There is however little dependable data on the subject. A direct study of female infanticide in the rural south Indian state Tamil Nadu was made in 12 noncontiguous villages. Most of the villagers are Hindus and the average caste composition is 56% gounders 31% harijans 11% other backward castes and 2% forward castes. 60% of the mothers are illiterate. The study area has distinctly Dravidian features of language marriage household dynamics and female status. Consanguineous marriages are normal among uncle and niece first cousins or more extended kin relations. Sons and daughters receive relatively equal treatment in terms of food and medical care and adult women have a relatively high status in their households. Gender inequality exists but it takes a less severe form than in other area of India. Data on female infanticide were gathered from April 1 1987 to September 30 1989 by following all of the pregnancies among 13000 people. There were 773 births: 378 male and 381 female live births and 8 male and 13 female stillbirths. High quality household demographic data were generated by village child care education workers who visit each home every 10-12 days and visit homes within 2 days of a birth. Infanticide with the mother and immediate relatives. In many cases the field team knew before the birth occurred that a family intended to commit infanticide if the baby was a girl. The data reflect conservative estimates only (there were at least 3 other suspicious cases and the 13 female reported stillbirths out of a total of 21 may also include cases of infanticide). In the reference period 23 male and 33 female babies died; all 19 confirmed infanticides were females. Thus more than half of the female deaths in the 12 study villages were due to direct infanticide and 9.7% of all female births resulted in infanticide. In the 6 villages where infanticide occurred the practice was responsible for 72% of female deaths. These villages have distinctive features. They are more remote only 2 have bus service as compared with all but 1 of the 6 where infanticide is not practiced their population is less educated and rates of consanguinity are higher (65 vs. 40%) than in the other 6 villages. A holistic approach and extended study of the underlying social dynamics are needed to change the complex system of values that allows this practice and to construct policies to reduce female infanticide.