Son preference and sex selection against females in the UK: Evidence, causes, trends and implications

自1980年代以来，重男轻女和产前性别选择程序日益普及，形成了生殖做法，并导致亚洲估计有1亿女孩失踪。在英国、美国和加拿大的亚裔社区中，也可以看到以重男轻女为动机的家庭决策，这引起了有关社区、妇女团体、卫生部门、决策者和整个社会的极大关注。该提案的总体目标是通过生殖决策评估性别偏好，在英国的亚洲社区中的决策和实践，并获得对动态因素的背景理解，这将为道德基础和性别公正的政策框架和干预提供信息，旨在解决男孩偏好和选择性生殖的潜在做法。该项目谈到了对政策制定的研究需求，在联合王国、欧洲和亚洲，重男轻女及其转化为性别选择的可能性（例如，见《2015年严重犯罪法》第84条（联合王国）;欧洲理事会第1829号决议;人权高专办、人口基金、儿童基金会、妇女署和世卫组织的机构间声明“防止性别偏见的性别选择”）。为了协调一致地处理这一主题的多方面问题，该项目汇集了生殖、家庭动态、重男轻女及其表现形式方面的专门知识，从而能够采取与知情政策相关的定性和定量方法。利用各种来源的人口统计学数据，我们将定量分析基于性别的生育实践（例如停止规则），出生性别比（SRB），趋势和代际变化，提供儿子偏好的人口统计学表现的新的和强有力的证据，并澄清近年来在英国产前性别选择（PSS）的潜在证据。重男轻女虽然植根于传统的父权制，但其性质正在发生变化。虽然定量的工作将带来新的见解，生殖做法与儿子的偏好，一个广泛的定性分析将询问代际家庭的动态在亚洲社区的背景下的做法的性别偏好和因素的变化，在儿子的偏好和相关的父权思想。深入了解支持性别偏好的因素之间的相互依存关系提供了一个难得的机会，有助于性别不平等的理论。这项工作将调查性别社会秩序的普遍性和亚洲社区内的父权文化的变化，以及不同性别的社会制度之间的动态相互关系。这将有助于理解阶级，年龄和种族/民族的交叉点，使当代英国社会不断变化的社会结构中的性别嵌入性合格，告知复杂性别体验的潜在多样性，包括这是如何挑战（或不）性别规范的想法。拟议的工作还将提供丰富的案例研究，以推进跨国理论，其结果可能支持旨在规范、文化和行为变化的知情政策干预。我们将在性别公正框架内进行道德分析，并结合政策框架分析，为潜在干预措施的最佳做法提供信息，并支持沟通。在整个过程中，各种利益相关者（学术界、医疗专业人士、妇女团体/非政府机构、政策制定者），包括卫生署（合作伙伴），将参与这项跨专业计划，提供有关重男轻女及相关生育习惯的最佳循证知识，这与有关妇女、其家庭、社区妇女组织、医疗界、并为英国及其他地区促进性别平等的政策提供信息。

Son preference and the increasing availability of prenatal sex selection procedures since the 1980s have shaped reproductive practices and contributed to an estimated 100 million missing girls in Asia. Son preference motivated family-making decisions have also been evidenced among Asian communities in the UK, the USA, and Canada, and is of considerable concern for the communities involved, women's groups, the health sector, policy makers and society at large. The overarching aim of this proposal is to evaluate gender preferences through reproductive decision-making and practice among Asian communities in the UK and gain a contextual understanding of the dynamic factors at play that will inform an ethically founded and gender justice policy framework and interventions aiming to address son preference and potential practices of selective reproduction.The project speaks to demands for research on policy development with regard to son preference and its potential translation into sex-selection in the UK, Europe and Asia (see for instance Serious Crime Act 2015, section 84 (UK); resolution 1829 of the Council of Europe; the interagency statement 'Preventing gender-biased sex selection' of the OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and WHO). To coherently tackle the multifaceted aspects of the topic, the project brings together expertise on reproduction, family dynamics, son preference and its manifestations that will enable qualitative and quantitative approaches relevant for informed policy. Using available demographic data from various sources,, we will analyse quantitatively gender-based childbearing practices (e.g. the stopping rule), sex ratio at birth (SRB), trends and intergenerational changes, providing novel and robust evidence of demographic manifestations of son preference, and also clarifying potential evidence of prenatal sex-selection (PSS) in recent years in the UK. Son-preference, though rooted in traditional patriarchy is changing in character. While the quantitative work will bring novel insights into reproductive practices in relation to son-preference, an extensive qualitative analysis will interrogate inter-generational family dynamics within the Asian communities of contextualised practices of gender preferences and factors of changes in son preference and related patriarchal ideologies. An in-depth understanding of the interdependencies between factors underpinning gender preferences provides a rare opportunity to contribute to theories of gender inequality. This work will investigate the pervasiveness of the gendered social order and shifting patriarchal cultures within Asian communities and also the dynamic interrelation of differently gendered social systems. This will help understanding the intersection of class, age and race/ethnicity qualify gender embeddedness within the changing social fabric of contemporary British society, inform the potential diversity of complex gendered experiences including how this is challenging (or not) the very idea of gender norms. The proposed work will also provide a rich case study to advance transnational theories.Outcomes are likely to support informed policy interventions aimed at normative, cultural and behavioural changes. We will conduct an ethical analysis within a gender justice framework combined with a policy framing analysis, to also inform best practice of potential interventions and support communication. Throughout, a variety of stakeholders (academics, medical professionals, women's groups/NGOs, policy makers) will be engaged in this multi-disciplinary project, including the Department of Health (partner), to provide the best evidence-based knowledge on son preference and related childbearing practices, which is of direct relevance to the women concerned, their family, community-based women's organisations, the medical sector, and of importance to inform policies promoting gender equality in the UK and beyond.