The Estimation of the Number of Aborted Girls in South Korea

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2025-04-17 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.70046

Hyunkuk Cho

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Abstract

Objective

Countries such as China and India are well known for their preference for sons. South Korea is another country with a long-standing preference for sons, with the sex ratio at birth (SRB) reaching as high as 116.5 in some years. Given that the normal SRB ranges from 105 to 107, a higher SRB suggests that some girls were likely aborted. This study estimates the number of girls aborted in the country.

Methods

Using an SRB of 106 as normal, we first calculate the expected number of girls born (NEG) based on the actual number of newborn boys (NAB). That is, NEG = (100/106) × NAB. We then compare NEG with the actual number of newborn girls.

Results

In 1981, 448 655 boys were born, which would imply that 423 259 girls were expected. However, since 418 754 girls were actually born that year, 4505 girls were likely aborted. In total, approximately 340 000 girls were aborted from 1981 to 2010, accounting for 3.8% of all female births.

Conclusion

We estimated the number of aborted girls based on the number of boys born. Since some boys were likely aborted, the number of aborted girls is likely higher than 340 000. Therefore, this figure should be considered as an estimate of abortions due to son preference.

Abstract Image

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韩国堕胎少女数量的估计

像中国和印度这样的国家以重男轻女著称。韩国是另一个长期以来重男轻女的国家，其出生性别比（SRB）在某些年份高达116.5。考虑到正常的性别比在105到107之间，较高的性别比表明一些女孩可能被打掉了。这项研究估计了该国堕胎女孩的数量。方法以新生儿平均出生数（SRB）为106为标准，根据新生儿实际出生数（NAB）计算预期出生数（NEG）。即NEG = (100/106) × NAB。然后，我们将NEG与新生儿的实际数量进行比较。结果1981年出生的男婴为448655人，预计出生的女婴为423259人。然而，由于那年实际出生了418754名女孩，4505名女孩可能被打掉了。从1981年到2010年，总共约有34万名女孩被堕胎，占所有女婴的3.8%。结论我们是根据男婴的出生数量来估计女婴的流产数量。由于一些男孩可能被打掉了，因此被打掉的女孩的数量可能高于34万。因此，这一数字应被视为对重男轻女堕胎的估计。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.