Video: Gender Inequality and the Malnourished Indian Girl Child

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Video brief:

Video by UNICEF on how gender inequality (preferential treatment to one gender, namely the male child) in certain socio-economic classes of India results in malnutrition in Indian female children.The case study used is of 9-month old twins, Devaki (female) and Rahul (male) who were brought by their mother to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre in Kolaras, Madhya Pradesh, India. The male twin was a normal weight and size for his age, but the female weighed just over half of what she should have. Doctors treating the female twin, attributed her lesser than normal weight to severe malnutrition. The children's mother denies any such bias.

Excerpt from Arokiasamy. P, and Pradhan. J, "Gender bias against female children in India--Regional differences and their implications for MDGs" https://paa2006.princeton.edu/papers/60960 :

"Gender differentials in nutritional status in India are reported during infancy, with discriminatory breastfeeding and supplementation practices. Infant girls are breastfed less frequently, for shorter duration, and over shorter periods than boys (Wyon and Gordon, 1971; Kielmann etal., 1981; Das Gupta, 1987).

In India, discrimination of girls in both preventive (immunization) and curative (treatment of illness) care are also reported with varying degrees amongst the states. Studies have recognised this as the main pathway for excess female child mortality."

This video is part of Nutritionist Raksha Changappa's video playlist on "Worldwide Food Security and Hunger", viewable at https://bit.ly/2cpdxiq Video (c) UNICEF. Reuploaded video.