Gender Gap in Most Vulnerable Population in India

Abstract

Gender bias of some particular section of population is nowadays regarded as an important social issue especially in developing countries. It is overwhelmingly observed mercilessly killing of female fetus even in high societies so on to the extent of young girls where rampant practice of trafficking is happening particularly in some pockets by the so called international agencies. Atrocities of female children starts right from the household level to overall societies where they are considered as economic burden even if they have for long time come under the purview of international bodies like UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and others. The present paper tries to investigate some of the important classifications in regard to the extent and variation of gender issues of population of vulnerable age below 15 years in India. The study analyses the data from the Censuses, National Sample Survey Organization and Sample Registration System of India for various years and tries to see the extent of dissimilarity between male and female children right from their early lives, missing numbers in census, status of health, education and child employment over time. An index of dissimilarity (ID) has been used to facilitate the analysis of the data. The study shows that significant gender difference existed in some cases or did not in others in the past. Presently there seem to exist both balance and imbalance between the two sexes in so far as the present data are concerned.