"In 10 Years, 1.5 Million More Men Than Women"...Nation in Crisis Due to Son Preference

Concerns Over Gender Population Gap Increasing to 2.5 Million by 2059

Vietnam is projected to face a severe gender imbalance in 10 years due to a preference for sons.

On the 2nd (local time), according to the local media Tuoi Tre, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health recently announced at an event that since 2006, the birth sex ratio has reached 109.8 boys per 100 girls.

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At the event, Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Population Department of the Ministry of Health, stated that since 2012, the birth sex ratio has remained consistently high at over 112 boys per 100 girls, maintaining a persistent gender imbalance. Thom cited projections from the Vietnam General Statistics Office, forecasting that by 2034, the male population in Vietnam will exceed the female population by 1.5 million. She expressed concern that if the current sex ratio trend does not change, the gender population gap could widen to 2.5 million by 2059.

Ha Thi Quynh Anh, a gender and human rights expert at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), explained that unlike in the past when families had 7 to 8 children, the current limited family size has led many to selectively give birth to at least one son.

Anh said, "We can prevent services that allow fetal sex selection, but that is only a superficial solution," emphasizing that true change will come only when societal biases against gender and the belief that a son must be born disappear.

The media expressed concerns that if the gender imbalance continues, it could lead to serious and unpredictable consequences for political, economic, and social stability. It also reported that the Vietnamese government is making various efforts to address this issue, including raising the status and roles of women, promoting gender equality, and implementing interventions to suppress sex selection at all levels.