Gender Inequality
Uneven sex selection is a major problem that could result from designer babies.
Prospective parents in countries such as China where the amount of children is limited would likely choose to have a male child over a female. One Chinese woman told the New York Times, "My parents were disappointed in my gender. They wished I were a boy." In these less developed countries, physical labor and the ability to support the family are still greatly prized. In China especially, culture still dictates that a son must take care of his parents in old age, while a daughter must take care of her husband's parents.
This same scenario is evidenced in India, where prospective parents would often choose to have a male child. Many Indians still live and work in villages and on farms. Male children are more useful as well as economically beneficial. China and India have the highest ratio of males to females, followed by Korea. Other countries in Africa and Asia,where child labor, as well as cultural pressure, show a preference for male children also have an extremely high ratio of males to females.
The graph on the right shows China's unusually high male to female ratio. While sex selection has played a small part in this high ratio, it is mainly do to female infanticide. Some desperate parents will kill their newborn daughter simply because she is a girl. Sex selection is a much easier choice for most parents than killing their own child. The uneven sex distribution would only get worse if designer babies became a more widely available option.
Though more prevalent in developing countries, even the United States would be affected by uneven sex selection. Despite the absence of many of the cultural factors that lead parents to desire boys in countries such as China, many adults in the United States would prefer a son over a daughter. In survey taken of the American public, forty percent of people would prefer male children compared to only twenty eight percent that would prefer females. This data is shown on the graph on the left. Other polls over the last fifty years have shown similar results.
Prospective parents in countries such as China where the amount of children is limited would likely choose to have a male child over a female. One Chinese woman told the New York Times, "My parents were disappointed in my gender. They wished I were a boy." In these less developed countries, physical labor and the ability to support the family are still greatly prized. In China especially, culture still dictates that a son must take care of his parents in old age, while a daughter must take care of her husband's parents.
This same scenario is evidenced in India, where prospective parents would often choose to have a male child. Many Indians still live and work in villages and on farms. Male children are more useful as well as economically beneficial. China and India have the highest ratio of males to females, followed by Korea. Other countries in Africa and Asia,where child labor, as well as cultural pressure, show a preference for male children also have an extremely high ratio of males to females.
The graph on the right shows China's unusually high male to female ratio. While sex selection has played a small part in this high ratio, it is mainly do to female infanticide. Some desperate parents will kill their newborn daughter simply because she is a girl. Sex selection is a much easier choice for most parents than killing their own child. The uneven sex distribution would only get worse if designer babies became a more widely available option.
Though more prevalent in developing countries, even the United States would be affected by uneven sex selection. Despite the absence of many of the cultural factors that lead parents to desire boys in countries such as China, many adults in the United States would prefer a son over a daughter. In survey taken of the American public, forty percent of people would prefer male children compared to only twenty eight percent that would prefer females. This data is shown on the graph on the left. Other polls over the last fifty years have shown similar results.
There would be many consequences if most parents chose to have male children over female children. Even a slight preference toward males could have devastating consequences. If we take the population results in China and assume that every girl gets married, that still leaves almost one third of men still single. Single men in China would also make up twenty percent of the population. Large numbers of single men has been shown to cause an increase in crime and violence. Andrea M. Den Boer and Valerie Hudson, respected political scientists, have done studies that conclusively show that single young men are more likely to commit violence than married ones.
Another dire consequence could include an increase in male order brides and sex trafficking. Some experts have already observed this happening in China and other countries with large number of single men. They attribute this to a rise in bachelors who would benefit from these services.
The desire for boys could also possibly create an inability for the human race to efficiently procreate. If the number of females declines in the coming years, it would have an adverse affect on human population growth. Human women can only have approximately one child per year (excluding the possibility of multiples, about four percent, as statistically insignificant), but few have that many children. If the population of females were extremely diminished, it would hamper the ability of the human race to procreate.
This is notably different from the scenario humans would face is males were under populated. The cause of this difference is that females are able to have fewer children over their lifetime than males. Even if a woman was constantly pregnant throughout her child bearing years, it is almost impossible for her to have more than twenty to twenty five children. A man, on the other hand, can theoretically have unlimited amounts of children with multiple women. A decline in women, therefore, would make repopulation much more difficult.
Another dire consequence could include an increase in male order brides and sex trafficking. Some experts have already observed this happening in China and other countries with large number of single men. They attribute this to a rise in bachelors who would benefit from these services.
The desire for boys could also possibly create an inability for the human race to efficiently procreate. If the number of females declines in the coming years, it would have an adverse affect on human population growth. Human women can only have approximately one child per year (excluding the possibility of multiples, about four percent, as statistically insignificant), but few have that many children. If the population of females were extremely diminished, it would hamper the ability of the human race to procreate.
This is notably different from the scenario humans would face is males were under populated. The cause of this difference is that females are able to have fewer children over their lifetime than males. Even if a woman was constantly pregnant throughout her child bearing years, it is almost impossible for her to have more than twenty to twenty five children. A man, on the other hand, can theoretically have unlimited amounts of children with multiple women. A decline in women, therefore, would make repopulation much more difficult.