Prenatal Sex Selection and Dynamics of Union Formation in India: Insights into Future Scenarios

The paper outlines the nature of prenatal sex selection in India links this with the future of union formation in India as well as the upcoming changes in the familial and societal fronts, especially from the gender perspective. Prenatal sex selection is an upper class phenomenon in the Indian society. This, combined with rapid demographic transition in most of the Indian states directly hit the supply of brides in the marriage market. For the Indian society, feasibility of formation of marital union will become a serious challenge as the imbalance of sexes is obvious. Given the nature of sex discrimination and hypergamic marriage system in India, unions will be formed with wide class differentials in which improved status of women cannot be expected even though the forthcoming squeeze is favouring females. Following lesser number of women, their role as care giver will be in demand which may ultimately intimidate the universality of marriage in the Indian society. Moreover, prenatal sex selection will affect the male population disproportionately bringing about more violence against women. Inter-regional marriage may become more prominent as there is a clear regional divide on the pattern of sex ratio.