The ratio of baby girls to baby boys in China has dropped further below the international standard—the result, critics say, of its controversial “one-child policy,” which in some cases has led to...

The ratio of baby girls to baby boys in China has dropped further below the international standard—the result, critics say, of its controversial “one-child policy,” which in some cases has led to sex-selective abortion, infanticide and the abandonment of baby girls.

In the 1980s, China launched a programme aimed at slowing its ever increasing population growth, by discouraging parents from having more than one child, using both incentives and penalties to enforce the policy. Many rural peasants, who make up the majority of the population, are anxious to have a son to help support them in their old age, particularly in the absence of a social security scheme. Boys are also traditionally favoured. The rules were relaxed somewhat for rural people (who may have a second child if their first born is a girl, but not a third) yet the problems persist. Human rights monitors say the gender imbalance is partly attributable to incomplete population statistics, as families sometimes avoid reporting the birth of a daughter so they continue trying for a son. Although the practice is illegal, some Chinese parents abort baby girls after ascertaining their gender during an ultrasound scan. In 2016, the Chinese Government formally abolished the one-child policy, replacing it with a two-child policy to tackle population ageing and gender imbalance.