Sex selection and the abortion of foetuses because they are female is an increasing problem in India. This reports looks at the feasability of harnessing the power of mass media to promote gender equality and reduce practices of sex selection.
The 2001 Census revealed a drop in the child sex ratio from 945 to 927 girls per 1,000 boys. Biological factors alone are not enough to explain this disparity.
Between January and September 2006, we conducted a feasibility study in India. It sought to answer the following questions:
- Is mass media a suitable vehicle to address attitudes and behaviours that determine gender inequality and sex selection?
- Who should a mass media campaign target?
- Would these messages be most effectively delivered by TV, radio or print?
- What format - eg drama serials, talk shows, radio phone-ins, billboards, etc - would be most suitable?
- Should the content focus on information and awareness, or changing cultural attitudes and behaviour?
To answer these questions, our research:
- Reviewed existing research on sex selection
- Reviewed previous mass media outputs and messages
- Conducted in-depth interviews with experts
- Analysed media consumption patterns
As well as an analysis of mass media consumption patterns, the feasibility study examined knowledge levels and attitudes relating to sex selection.
The primary target group for a campaign, according to the study, would be those seeking to determine the sex of a foetus and later abort it. This ‘service recipient group' would comprise women, husbands and natal and conjugal families.
Of this group, the main focus should be young, unmarried women. This is because they:
- Are the most open to questioning inherited values and behaviours
- Display the greatest conflict with choices forced upon them
- Are uncomfortable with sex selection
- Appear to be the most amenable to behaviour change
The study highlighted that any mass media messages would need to achieve two things:
- They would need to fill in the knowledge gaps that play a role in sex selection
- Unravel and challenge social and cultural attitudes
Research pointed to television as the best means of getting the message across. It is immensely popular in India and has great potential to influence the behaviour of loyal viewers
It also concluded that the issue best lent itself to a fiction drama. This is because sex selection is embedded in intimate family relations and inter-generational conflict, which are the core elements of mainstream drama in India.