Empowering girls is critical for the progress of the socio-economic progress of the country. There is a prevailing deep social meta-preference in favour of sons. The Economic Survey 2017-2018 points to a collective self-reflection by the country on its preference for male children. This has resulted in an immense number of ‘unwanted girls’: over 20 million.
The survey also points out that the ‘son meta-preference’ does not only occur in impoverished rural facilities but also in middle and upper-middle class families. Violence and injustice against women and girls are still on the rise, the report says.