Malkit Kaur, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at
Punjabi University at
Patiala, is preparing a study to investigate the missing women of
Punjab. This empirical study will be a follow up to her earlier work related to the declining sex ratio in
Punjab. Sex Ratio compares the number of males to females in a population
. This new study will take place in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab State. This district has experienced a dramatic decline in the child sex ratio in the last decade.
In this week’s news, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) identified
Punjab as the worst state in
India in terms of the Child Sex Ratio, specifically, in “the age group of 0-6 years old due to the rampant practice of female foeticide there.”
The empirical study is necessary in order to understand the dramatic effects of this process. It has been predicted that if the trend continues, the number of females in Punjab after 20 years would be one third of the number of males.
Malkit believes, “The study in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab becomes all the more important, as the district had experienced maximum and drastic declining of 120 points in the child sex ratio of 754.”
Villages will be selected after conducting a preliminary survey. Field level data will be collected by village people and others such as academia, administrators and social workers, will be consulted to explain real issues.
The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, Paris is supporting Professor Kaur’s cutting-edge research.
Malkit Kaur, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at 