Juvenile Sex Ratio in Tamilnadu – A District Level Analysis

The overall sex Ratio (OSR) at nationwide (the number of females per 1000 males) in 2011 Census of India has improved by seven percentage points to 940 against 933 in 2001. This is the highest sex ratio at the national level since 1971 and a shade lower than 1961. However, the area of grave concern remained the lowest ever child sex Ratio (CSR) of 918 per 1000 male children. When looked at data for a longer period of time, it can be found that the ratio had declined across the country. Between 1951 and 2011, the child sex ratio dropped from 983 to 914 women per 1000 men. Thirteen out of the 35 states and union territories have CSR lower than the national average of 918 girls per 1000 boys in 2011. District-level variations in CSR are enormous in 2011 and so are the severity of decline in some districts as compared to 2001 CSR figures. At 946 girls for every 1000 boys, Tamil Nadu recorded a four point increase in CSR between 2001 and 2011. Thirteen out of the 32 districts have CSR lower than the national average of 946 girls per 1000 boys in 2011. The Census data reflects significant fluctuation in the pattern of CSR change across the state. The alarming child sex ratio at less than 900 per 1,000 males, in fourteen districts of Tamilnadu is a matter of serious concern. This paper aims at analyzing the pattern of child sex ratio in Tamilnadu and its districts and to examine the causes of decrease in the number of female children in various districts.