43
Stemming girls’ chronic poverty: Catalysing development change by building just social institutions
and community and spiritual leaders to raise awareness that
female foeticide is a crime; rallies focusing on the need to stop
sex determination tests and discrimination against girls; and
encouraging people to take oaths against female foeticide.
A similar multipronged initiative has been undertaken
in China by the Care for Girls programme, which was
undertaken in 24 counties on a pilot basis between 2003 and
2005. The programme sought to reduce the imbalanced sex
ratio by: promoting government leadership and ownership
of the programme at all levels; cracking down on the non-
medical use of prenatal sex determination and sex-selective
abortion; improving reproductive health services for women;
supporting girl-only families by offering special benefits
(including housing support for poor households, support for
girls’ education and pensions); launching public awareness
campaigns; and strengthening data management and
evaluation systems related to birth registration, abortion and
infant and child mortality by sex. Significantly, the programme
contributed to a reduction in the sex ratio at birth from 133.8
in 2003 to 119.6 in 2005, as a result of which it was extended
nationally (Li, 2007).
In India, the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), in partnership with the International
Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), works through
integrated multiple interventions. These include legal aid,
advocacy, public information, training and research, to support
and build change through the Dignity for the Girl Child
programme, which brings together local and international
organisations. The programme has led workshops on the high
sex ratio with community leaders, in order to raise awareness
of the problem. In response to the training, one participant
from the Sikh community began community groups, in which
women discussed the issue of foeticide in their communities.
This inspired mass weddings where couples took an oath
against foeticide (IFES, 2007).
Harnessing the power of the media has been another
effective approach. In India, for example, a government–NGO
partnership involving Plan International, the Edward Green
Charity (and later IFES and USAID) and the government of
India developed and broadcast a soap opera series to highlight
the problems of sex-selective abortion to the general public. The
soap used a Bollywood-style approach to examine issues such
as the law against prenatal tests, gender poverty, anti-dowry
laws, violence against women and potential social problems
stemming from a biased sex ratio. An audience assessment by
the New Delhi-based Centre for Advocacy Research (CAR)
found that the drama resonated strongly with young women
(see Box 20) but that, to reach older women and men, a more
interactive approach to the development of the storyline
would be required, so that they did not feel alienated by the
programme. Overall, however, CAR concluded that there was
considerable scope for serials to tackle such issues and for
producers to do so while seeking regular viewer feedback.
27
Another important part of public education includes school
curriculum reforms and especially the development of gender-
sensitive materials. This entails, for example, the inclusion of
examples and images that show women and girls in positive
roles, apply role reversal, increase the portrayal of women
in public spheres and men in the private domain and avoid
stereotypical family scenes, occupations and activities. The
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2006) documents
a range of positive examples from Brazil, the Maldives and
Vietnam which show men actively involved in infant and
child care, young children involved in non-stereotypical
gender activities (e.g. boys in the kitchen, girls playing with
A BBC news story noted the following viewer impressions of
the soap opera on sex-selective abortion:
‘I wish my mother-in-law could see this film. Anyway now I
have got a little strength to protest if this happens to me’
(Arundhuti, 25-year-old housewife with one son)
‘We never thought that aborting female foetuses was a crime.
I thought it was something very common […] this film made
me realise about the seriousness of killing female foetuses’
(Neha Masti, 34-year-old housewife with two sons)
‘Surprisingly, I did not know about the law at all. Being a
husband, at times we don’t understand our wives. This film
made me understand never to force wives for such things. I
need to discuss it with her’ (Santosh Kumar Singh, 31-year-
old father of a boy and girl)
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4173597.stm
Box 20: The power of the media in reshaping
gender-biased attitudes
Save the Girl Campaign image
Source: www.bellevision.com/index.php?action=topnews&type=129
44
2 | Son bias
construction toys) and non sex-segregated family interactions
in Vietnam (see the images below). The Beijing + 15
28
Regional
Report for Asia and the Pacific
29
also noted good practices from
Singapore, where public education work was being carried
out in conjunction with the Association of Devoted and Active
Family Men and the Centre for Fathering, and from Hong
Kong, where the Education Bureau is embarking on an ‘equal
opportunities for all subjects’ initiative, rejecting the practice
of streaming girls and boys.
As discussed, traditional attitudes towards boys and
girls account for only part of the entrenched nature of son
bias. Taking action to address parental economic concerns
is also vital. Part of parental reasoning against investing in a
daughter’s education is that male earning power is likely to be
considerably higher. Even if a daughter does not marry early,
and contributes to the household income while she is single,
lower investments in girls’ education, gender-segmented
labour markets and wage differentials mean that on average
she will probably be less well remunerated than her brothers
(Wang, 2005). Accordingly, promoting gender parity in
schools and the enforcement of equal employment legislation
are critical to tackle the broader structural discrimination that
girls and women face outside the family, and in this way to
enhance their intra-household status.
In many societies the elderly in poor communities are often
especially vulnerable; in order to reduce their reliance on their
children (typically sons) for old-age support, advocacy around
strengthening public investment in social protection systems
is another important longer-term strategy. Wenjuan and Dan
(2008) argue that old-age pensions are affordable even in
middle- and low-income countries (as evidenced by examples
in Shaanxi province in China,
30
Lesotho, Mauritius and Nepal)
and that they can play a critical role in reducing poverty and
vulnerability at this stage in the lifecycle. Indeed, most older
people live and share resources with children and, as such,
pensions have a positive impact on child welfare as well,
contributing to the interruption of the intergenerational cycle
of poverty transmission. Pensions free up income to be spent
Gender-sensitive school textbook images from Brazil, the Maldives and Vietnam
Source: UNICEF (2006)
PART FOUR
Strategies for
Introducing a Holistic
Approach
to Early Child
Development
41
Programming
Experiences in
EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
This demystifying and simplifying of Early Child Development research can
easily be integrated into the work of healthcare providers and training of
community duty bearers from all sectors.
In both Maldives and Vietnam, television spots have been developed to
demonstrate the abilities of newborns. In Maldives, these were also adapted
for radio and print as well as used in training for caregivers and service
providers from all sectors.
Both girls and boys are born with the same potential
to develop skills in all areas.
Both girls’ and boys’ holistic development depends on the opportunities and
experiences they receive. For the brain and body of girls as well as boys to
fully develop they need equal nutrition, learning opportunities, and
encouragement to be physically active—yet safe, verbal—as well as quiet
and gentle, and to lead—as well as cooperate.
Many cultures have programmes and media to encourage girls to challenge
gender stereotypes, take more leadership roles and be more active. But
most have been slow in nurturing and encouraging young boys to overcome
stereotypical masculine (especially macho) behaviours, or to encourage
their verbal skills and gentler side.
Yet successful innovations on both issues have been addressed as part of
holistic Early Child Development approaches. Young boys as well as older
males have modelled actions that will lead to or are demonstrating that
males as well as females have a positive impact on the health, learning,
social, and emotional development of young children. Some examples
include:
A series of books for families from Brazil
33
which show positive
male participation in the development of young children
Many cultures
have
programmes and
media to
encourage girls
to challenge
gender
stereotypes, take
more leadership
roles and be
more active. But
most have been
slow in nurturing
and encouraging
young boys to
overcome
stereotypical
masculine
behaviours, or to
encourage their
verbal skills and
gentler side.
PROGRAMMING
FOR EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
a holistic approach
to early years
PART FOUR
Strategies for
Introducing a Holistic
Approach
to Early Child
Development
42
42
Programming
Experiences in
EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
A series of books for families from Maldives
34
show the impact of
positive family interaction on the development of healthy gender
roles for young children.
A series books for families from Vietnam
35
which show positive
family interaction and gender roles for young children (a boy
reading and a girl playing ball).
PROGRAMMING
FOR EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
a holistic approach
to early years
PART FOUR
Strategies for
Introducing a Holistic
Approach
to Early Child
Development
42
42
Programming
Experiences in
EARLY CHILD
DEVELOPMENT
A series of books for families from Maldives
34
show the impact of
positive family interaction on the development of healthy gender
roles for young children.
A series books for families from Vietnam
35
which show positive
family interaction and gender roles for young children (a boy
reading and a girl playing ball).