A Longitudinal Study of Selective Gender Preferences in India: Investigating the Influence of Female Literacy on Gender Ratio

Purposes: The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of literacy and illiteracy on the selective birth choices among females in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the study also aims to identify the factors or drivers other than literacy and illiteracy that compel females to exercise selective options. Theoretical Framework: The study has been devoted to studying the forces that restrict the growth of the population, especially the birth of a girl child, which earlier population theories like Malthus and Neo Malthus have examined. Accordingly, the present research works on the fact that literacy and illiteracy have a significant role in containing population growth. Design Methodology: The Study used longitudinal data and examined the relationship and interdependence between literacy and population growth in selected regions of the state using parametrical statistical measures including simple Karlpearsons’s correlation and bivariate regression analysis. Findings and Recommendations: The analysis of the study revealed that literacy is a dominant factor for selective birth decisions across the rural and urban regions among all groups of inhabitants and families. Nevertheless, the phenomenon is significantly visible in the literate class, and this appears primary reason for the adverse sex ratio in the state. Moreover, the study hints that the advanced medical screening process to determine the gender of the fetus is not yet a valid procedure to know the type of sex of new birth. accordingly, the study states that the gender of the fetus cannot be known in advance exactly, and literate women should not rely on this. Research, Practical and Social Implications: The study is confined to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and can be helpful for policy design at the state and national level for the larger benefit of society at large. It can also guide researcher to chase and underline moments in the socio-cultural and economic domains of life of people and societies.