Gender discrimination in sex selective abortions and its transition in South Korea

SynopsisDespite increased economic growth and social development, gender relations in South Korea have not progressed much. This may be due to an existing Confucian dogma in Korean society, which accords women a subordinate status. One insidious example of this gender discrimination is female selective abortion and the resulting imbalanced sex ratio. This article reviews the trends in the sex ratio at birth in Korea, and the cultural underpinnings of the preference for sons. Using evidence from successive surveys, it then demonstrates how attitudes have changed over time. Finally, it examines how the relaxation of the traditional attitude of a preference for male children is accompanied by reduced attention to other traditional beliefs, such as attending to auspicious birth years for female children.