Gender Bias And Its Effects On Children

As Mingliang states, “the Chinese preference for at least one son is well documented” (3). Having two sons in a family is very unusual in China. Due to the preferences of having sons, the abortion rates have increased. Abortion is well known in China, as is the “missing girls” phenomenon. Shaou, Dodge, and Suter argue that, “of the seven million abortions annually in China, the International Planned Parenthood Federation indicates that more than 70 percent are female unborn children”(4). This is a big percentage, and the number of girls in this country is decreasing every year. People are using different ways to limit the number of girls. Moreover, if a woman does not want to abort, she is forced to do so. Bluett argues that, “abortions are performed throughout the entire nine-month period, even up to the point of childbirth” (3), simply saying the increase in sex ration is caused mainly by son preference, which is as a tradition in China. It is significant to mention that because of the gender imbalance, younger generations are facing other problems. According to Bluett, “many males are left without a wife, which leads to an increase in human trafficking” (5). The one child policy is causing a lot of troubles and China has to make sure to reduce the negative effects of this policy.

For many people, the term “designer babies” sounds like something that could only exist in the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. But, science has now advanced to the point where faulty genes can now be singled out, discarded, and replaced with more favorable ones. Just like the 16,012 babies manufactured in the Hatchery and Conditioning Centre in Brave New World, human embryos can be selected for fertilization based on their genes. This is done through the processes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This involves removing mature egg cells from a woman and fertilizing it with male sperm outside of the body. The embryos are then analyzed for abnormalities and mutations in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The healthiest embryos are then implanted back into the woman’s uterus for regular gestation (Yount). The development of these techniques originated from the Human Genome Project initiated by the United States government in 1988 (Siegel-Itzkovich). Although established initially with the purpose of selecting healthy embryos free of disease, the same techniques can be applied to select genes that code for traits such as intelligence, strength, and beauty. IVF and PGD are useful techniques but should only be used for medical purposes, not for selecting the embryos of perfect children.

Dena Davis in the 5th chapter of “Genetic Dilemmas: Reproductive Technology, Parental Choices, and Children’s Futures” explores the global attitudes, policies, and morality towards determination of sex. She begins with presenting empirical evidence of some preferences held in countries such as India or China where there is a clear desire for male children. This inclination is so deeply held that mothers can be socially and physically harmed when, by pure biological chance, they fail to produce a male child. Davis and others allow sex selection in these cases, purely in the interest of harm reduction of mothers and their daughters born into such a situation.

The WHO states that there are three core motivations for engaging in sex determination and sex selection which include “medical reasons such as preventing the birth of children affected or at risk of X-linked disorders; family balancing reasons where couples choose to have a child of one sex because they already have one or more children of the other sex; and gender preference reason often in favor of male offspring stemming from cultural, social, and economic bias in favor of male children and as a result of policies requiring couples to limit reproduction to one child, as in China.” In countries such as India and China, it is apparent that women can be harmed by sex selection

Gender bias, also known as sexism, is a full of attitudes, laws, taboos, preferences, and behaviors that differentiates and discriminates against either sex. These may be a position of which male dominance and female subjugation in the modern society. It could also be a form of sexual stereotypes between men and women, these are commonly experienced in employment versus other positions. A final place that discrimination is faced is the academic environment, the female to male ratios are not in sync in certain programs and courses because of this and it is pressuring men and women to not go into certain fields and do what they love and please. Most advertisements on Television, magazines, newspapers, online ad’s, use a charged sexually image with a female as the star. Women are to be a pleasure for men, and nothing else. Many people have different opinions on genders and sexuality and that is okay, but sometimes you just need to keep them to yourselves.

The use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, used during in vitro fertilization, for medical screening and sex pre-selection is ethical so as long as it is done for the child’s best interest and not for superficial desires of the parents. Every year, around 3,945,875 babies are born in the United States (NIH, 2017). Unfortunately, 12.1% of women ages 15-44 and 8% of men ages 25 to 44 struggle with infertility issues (CDC, 2016). It is also challenging for gay and lesbian couples to become parents in which one is biologically related by using their gametes (Wittenstein, 2016). Luckily, there are several medical advancements that help individuals become pregnant. A controversial medical advancement that is commonly used is known as In-Vitro

The spark to this modern gendercide was the accessibility of ultrasound technology. Ultrasound technology was originally for the use of identifying genetic abnormalities but was discovered that it could be used to detect the sex of a fetus (Sandel 127). This technology became available in the mid 1980’s just after the implementation of the one-child rule in China. This new technology meant that people could determine the sex of the baby before giving birth giving rise to sex selection abortions in China. This has ultimately caused the extreme skew in the ratio of males to females in Chinese population. The more available ultrasound technology became, the more people found out they were having girls instead of boys. Therefore, those having females aborted their fetuses while those who were carrying males had their babies.

Being able to create a child by simply signing a waiver has been viewed as unethical. Another concern involves the thought that In Vitro Fertilization would conclusively destroy our overall perspective of what people see as the typical family Cahn, Naomi R). Many believed that the traditional marriage followed by starting a family, would be replaced by laboratory breeding. Conservatives feared the creation of these non-traditional families, feminists were concerned that the pressure on women to bear children would increase significantly. Still others, worried that these “lab-babies” would be socially rejected and considered outcasts. While this treatment has been known to help those unable to fertilize their children naturally such as same-sex couples, single mothers, and the infertile, many across the country and around the world remain skeptical (Goldworth, Amnon).

For decades, sex selection has been a controversial issue, choosing the sex of a child is viewed as a justifiable act since there is no harm done to anyone .I believe that gender selection creates balance in a family and culturally viewed as a desirable practice to fulfill social norms. However others ethicists believe that sex selection reinforce the idea of sexual discrimination within our societies (Caulfield & Brownsword, 2012).This explains why there are renewed efforts from civil societies and government to analyze arguments presented by different authors who either support or oppose sex selection.

With new technologies available everyday, it seems almost as if we can customize our children. Reproduction is no longer an outcome of random and inherited genes, but now it’s a process of creating the child that we want to have. Fertility clinics are in debate as to whether or not it is ethical to be able to determine the sex of our children. Some view this as a valid option, while others see it as another step down the road to designer babies. But how far is too far? That is a question that we can only answer for ourselves. While this article remains unbiased, we are able to form our own opinion after seeing the pros and cons of both sides.

Babies are commonly viewed as the most innocent lifeforms in the world. Not only does their cuteness touch the lives of everyone they come in contact with, but their inability to carry judgments makes them someone most of us admire. Unfortunately, while the baby may not be able to express their likes and dislikes, their parents have already introduced the baby to the idea of favoritism, even before it makes its way out of the womb. New technology has allowed parents to select the sex of their baby. As a result, the idea behind childbirth being a miracle, as well as a magical process, is now lost. By allowing parents to select the sex of their children, society is enabling people to value one gender over another and neglect the true intentions

In this article, “Should Parents be Allowed to Choose the Sex of their Baby?” Carina Storrs claims that in vitro fertilization is now allowing couples to choose their baby’s gender, even though health side effects are still being researched. In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is the manual process of combining a harvested egg from the female's body, with a gender specific cell collected from a sperm sample. Although many other methods have been attempted to dictate the gender of offspring, IVF is the most successful. Storrs also mentions how the manipulation of the embryo may lead to intrinsic risks. She also alludes to the gender bias issue this method could lead to in the future. Along with these two physical issues, another that the author poses a question about is the moral dilemma. Is it ethically right for a couple to choose the gender of their children? Moreover, Storrs states that IVF is a developing technology, that is becoming more accessible in society.

The cause of Asia’s, or specifically China’s, gender imbalance is fundamentally rooted in its cultural beliefs, with its patrilineal system putting preference upon the male child. There are numerous socioeconomic factors such as the unequal opportunities for females, retirement support that could be provided by men, and better socio-economic opportunities, like education and employment, that is given to males. After the introduction of the one-child policy, women scrambled to try and have male children so that their children could have a chance at better social mobility, job options, etc. The gender imbalance also negatively affects males, as there are not enough women to have as wives, rear children, or provide insights and skills that a man cannot. But by doing this, the deficit between males and females by sex ratio increased exponentially. In relation to this, global interconnectivity through technological advances, such as the internet, affected how quickly Western opinion on sex-selective abortion was seen in Asian countries.

One of the most debated topics in modern society today is equality. Most everyone agrees that all people are equal, however, most everyone is also implicitly biased about genders whenever it comes to careers. For example, imagine for a moment a random piano teacher. What gender did you automatically think of them as? You more than likely initially imaged a female piano teacher. Now, imagine a random surgeon/ doctor. What gender did you automatically see them as? You probably imaged them as a male. If so, you are experiencing implicit gender bias. Unfortunately, you are not alone in this; society itself implicitly assigns males to scientific careers and women to liberal arts. Implicit bias are the completely unconscious stereotypes and attitudes we have towards society that affects our decisions and understanding of things. The key word in that definition is unconscious. Most people do not even realize they hold this bias; you might not have even realized you were experiencing this bias until reading this paragraph. This ignorance is one of the main reasons this bias is still occurring on a daily basis to most of humanity, and it is the main reason there is such a gender divide in careers today. It is hypothesized that helping people identify their implicit bias (specifically gender career bias) and providing them with basic education and strategies on the topic itself will reduce their gender career bias.

Null Hypothesis - Gender bias does not have a role to play in people’s mind-set towards male victims.