VietNamNet Bridge – A clause in draft law suggesting that elderly couples that only have daughters should receive government subsidies is being opposed.

The country is currently discussing a draft Law on Population drawn up by the Ministry of Health, which includes a provision suggesting that the government offers financial support to elderly couples who only have daughters.

The law aims to end gender discrimination against girls with the Department for Population and Family Planning revealing shocking statistics that there are 114 newborn boys compared to every 100 girls.

In an interview with VietNamNet Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu from the Institute of Population and Social Studies said that the proposed subsidy could worsen the already yawning gender gap.

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cu

"The law may strengthen the wrong notion that daughters are inferior to sons and can’t take care of their parents," Cu explains. “Families with sons will be unhappy with this policy, while families having only daughters may not want it because they don't want to be considered as being somehow unlucky.”

In addition, Cu said that gender imbalance was more often seen in rich families in major cities who have circumvented the laws intended to restrict gender selection. He cited a recent survey results in which sex ratio for newborns was 105 boys per 100 girls in the poorest 20% of the population, 107.5 boys per 100 girls in 60% middle-income segment of the population and 113 boys per 100 girls in 20% wealthiest part of the population.

 Cu said, "the law will have no effect."

"China, for example, has been giving allowances of 600 yuan per person per month to couples with girls for many years but the sex ratio imbalance has not been reduced," he added.

Moreover, the expert said that the proposal is actually violating the Gender Equality Law.

“The law stipulates that all males and females are equal and are not subjected to any form of discrimination,” he said.

Cu suggested that the state budget should instead be used for developing the country's economy and boosting integration with the outside world as part of changing people’s out of date and prejudiced perceptions that somehow boys are more important than girls.

"I think we should have a national programme promoting gender equality in all aspects of life including society, families and politics," he noted.

A recent conference on gender equality warned that 4.3 million Vietnamese men would face difficulties in finding a partner by 2050.

DTriNews/VNN