anyone here from China?

Trauma Columnist · Jul 14, 2009

Hi and welcome. I moved your post to the International Forum. What can we help you with?

ilmbg · Jul 14, 2009

I am not wondering about nursing. I am wanting to know more about female infanticide in China. Does it still exist in high numbers for female babies?

The reason I ask is because a relative went to China recently and thought it was just the most cultured, beautiful place, where adults 'treasured their children'. When I asked her if she saw any of the horrid orphranages, saw any female children on the streets she was just horrified that I would even THINK females were treated inferiorly! She said infantcide is no longer practiced- that the culture 'adored' their children!

I have read and heard otherwise- from some of the larger International agencies. She also saw no evidence of any 'poor' neighborhoods- thinking they just don't exist.

I truly believe she has blinders on.

Also, she thinks the 'one' child law has been disbanded- that the Chinese are 'free' to have several children. I read otherwise.

How these females- and sometimes males are treated is important! They need to be treated like human beings with a soul!

I still read about the 'killing rooms'.

Has China changed so much recently that females are now wanted as much as males?

Thanks

xzxsixthsense · Jul 14, 2009

im a female im from china and hey im still alive. does that explain some?

ilmbg · Jul 14, 2009

It does not explain the system, no. If you are eighter a student or a nurse, you are anywhere from 18 years old to....older. 18 years ago infanticide for females was extremely high- what I have read, it might have been as high as 73%. What might it be today? Have education, financial incetives made a large difference? Obviously, not ALL female infants are killed. I would like to know more about the percentage that is thought to be killed.

So far, what I have been able to find out from international adoptions/orphanages, is that it has nNOT dropped signifigantly. With the new rule of being able to have a second child, I thought it would have- but the incidence of elective gender abortion is high. Also, the stigma of a wife having given birth to females is still terrible. The incidence of mother's having just given birth to a female who commit suicide because they are ashamed of giving their husband a female infant has gone down- but the statistics they tried to give me are not known- it is still considered shameful. I don't understand this part- the male determines the sex of the fetus- surely Chinese males know this, don't they? Why would it be a shame for a wife to deliver a female when it is the father who determines the sex?

If anyone knows the answers to this serious Chinese concern, please post.

TIA

xzxsixthsense · Jul 16, 2009

well it traces back to thousands of years of chinese history where males have dominated the country all the way. unlike western culture, when a chinese female marry to a man she does not take the man's family name. consquently if the young wife gives birth to a female infant, the infant is seen as not being able to carry the father's family name. another significance was that it used to be only males could inherit the wealth of the family. and if a woman married to a man and she had no other male siblings, her family's life saving fortune would go to her hunsband after her parents pass away. money and authority. and in chinese traditional culture, family wealth needs be carried within the family after generations. so imagine handing generations of savings and properties to another family only because the wife cannot give birth to a son, of course the husband is not thrilled. there's no doubt that they know males give the sperms which carry the Y chromosome. but before the one child policy they could just keep asking their wife to have more children. however after the policy was legalized, some guy just could not deal with it. and after generations women have also been taught to be proud when they give birth to a baby boy.

this is just a brief idea of what have happend. if you are so interested in this subject, you probably need to read more into the chinese history. after all im not an expert on this. no one has ever been and no one could ever be.

like what i said i can't throw you all the numbers and statistics, but one fact i know for sure is i've lived there long enough to witness changes and right now there are far more families who treasure their baby girl just like a baby boy if not more.

ilmbg · Jul 18, 2009

Thank you xzx... do you live in China now? If you have any good books on this subject, please let me know. The bit about the wife's family loosing their money upon death to the husband- does the husband WANT to marry a wealthy girl then- in case she does not produce a male? The politics that relate to this history might be interesting.

Thank you.

xzxsixthsense · Jul 18, 2009

no i'm noting living in China right now. some larger libraries here in the state may have some literatures on this part of chinese culture. and no the guys typically dont want to marry girls who are richer than them. this is another tradition on marriage which calls for marriage within the same socioeconomical level. wealthy to the wealthy and poor to the poor. it might hurt the guy's pride if his wife earns more than him or has a lot higher educational level. and this tradition still exists somewhat these days.