THIRUVANANATHAPURAM: Kerala, which takes pride in being the state with the highest female sex ratio in the country, might soon be going the way of other states, according to the provisional 2011 Census report.While women outnumber men in the general category, the child sex ratio (0-6 years) shows an absolutely opposite trend.In a state with no apparent preference for sons, the child sex ratio is declining. Though the dip is marginal as compared to 2001 Census data, the child sex ratio is below the state average of 959 females to 1,000 males in five districts.One possible reason could be that the infant mortality rate and mortality rate under the age of five among girls are higher than that of boys. “In 1991, the mortality rate among girls (0-4 years) was high only in nine districts of the state.By 2001, the mortality rate among girls (0-5 years) was higher than that of boys in all 14 districts,” said Sajini P Nair, social scientist at the Population Research Centre attached to the KU Department of Demography.However, the reason for higher mortality among girls remains unknown in a state which has no history of female infanticide. “Why this is happening can be analysed only if there is some reliable statistics on the cause of death of these girls, which unfortunately is not available,” Sajini said.Alappuzha district is reported to have the lowest ratio of 947 females to 1,000 males, whereas in 2001 Census the lowest position was claimed by Ernakulam.The child sex ratio is below the state average of 959 in Thrissur (948), Idukki (958), Kottayam (957) and Ernakulam (954). However, the child sex ratio is way above the national average of 914 females against 1,000 males, which is said to be the worst figure since Independence.A significant finding is that for the first time all districts have registered a positive sex ratio, i.e., the number of women exceeded that of men. It is 1,100 women or more to 1,000 men, in Kannur, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thrissur and Alappuzha.All districts, even those that lagged behind in the 2001 Census, have more than 1,000 women per 1,000 men.“As far as the general population in Kerala is concerned, the number of women would be more as life expectancy always favours them,” Sajini said.
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