FRONTLINE/WORLD . Rough Cut . India: The Missing Girls | PBS
FRONTLINE/WORLD . Rough Cut . India: The Missing Girls | PBS

Been Watching PBS on my computer,
including Bill Moyers Journal
and Frontline

this program is somewhat discouraging to an aging hippie who
embraced feminism over 30 years ago, but of course i am here
in southern california, in what used to be the greatest country...

'nough about that. what it is in India can be boiled down to
three statements:
1. the population in india is over one billion and growing by
41,000 people per day
2. Unlike in America, where "a son is a son until he takes a wife,
but a daughter is a daughter for all of her life," in India the
old folks are cared for by their sons, and
3. to marry off a daughter the family must do whatever it takes
including risking financial ruin to provide a dowry to the
prospective husband and/or his family.

So - i don't know how long ago this program aired. But what
really made me want to post about it is: I HAVE THE SOLUTION

Bottom line is that india is producing almost twice as many boys as
girls, due to the realities mentioned above. and the thing is, the
situation that is driving the prospective parents of India to off
their girl babies - usually prior to viability as far as i know -
in about 20 years, will give rise to another
situation that should put the families with daughters into a
wonderful position of turning the tables completely:

there are not going to be enough wives to go around when
all these kids get to marrying age. So those that have
gone ahead and allowed their daughters to be born, when the
dearth of suitable females becomes reality, should just
say to the men and their families: "Screw US putting a
dowry together! If you want your dear son to marry and have
kids of his own, YOU pay us the dowry. We'll be accepting
bids, with non-refundable deposits totaling 10% of the
total proposed dowry, and when our dear, precious, rare
female child has decided on the husband she wants, we'll
let you know."

"Don't call us, we'll call you."

think about it. the solution to the problem is contained
within the problem.

Foresight is a grand ol' thing. wish i had enough to apply
to my own life, but all i request regarding this solution
to the Missing Girls of India problem, is...i dunno, the Nobel
peace prize?

hehehe
- posted by barbara @ 4/29/2007 02:28:00 PM