UPSC Mains 2015 GS Paper 1 Q10: model answer

Census 2011 recorded a sex ratio of about 990 females per 1,000 males among Scheduled Tribes and about 945 among Scheduled Castes, against a national figure of 943.

Why tribal ratios are more favourable

• Women play a visible economic role in farming, forest produce and markets, so daughters are valued.
• Bride price rather than dowry in many tribes.
• Greater freedom in choosing partners, divorce and remarriage.
• Less influence of caste-based patriarchy and son preference; limited access to sex-selection technology in remote areas.

Why SC ratios are lower

• SC communities live within caste society and are more exposed to its norms: dowry, son preference and restrictions on women.
• Sanskritisation leads some groups to adopt upper-caste practices, including dowry and seclusion of women.
• Poverty and poor health care raise female mortality.

Caveats

• Tribal ratios vary by region; some tribal areas show declining ratios with greater integration into mainstream society.

What the numbers hide

• Within STs, ratios are lower among groups more integrated into settled agriculture.
• Among SCs, the child sex ratio has fallen faster where dowry has spread, showing how Sanskritisation can carry real gender costs for families.

Bottom line

The data show that social norms, not income alone, shape the sex ratio. Valuing women's work and ending dowry are central to improving it.