Assessing the complex dynamic that exists between Armenian women and sex-selective policy, and showing that the goal of policy should be to promote the value of girls and not to restrict women's reproductive choices.
One of the goals of this presentation is to challenge the narrative of "women as victims". As an alternative, I use "women as rational actors". This narrative may seem obvious to some but is actually controversial to my target audience.
Presentation audio (in English y español): https://soundcloud.com/user-857728928/dis-empowered-women-armenian-women-as-victim-and-perpetrator-of-sex-selective-abortion
Call Girls Service Jaipur {9521753030} ❤️VVIP RIDDHI Call Girl in Jaipur Raja...
Dis(Empowered) Women: Armenian Women as both Victim and Perpetrator of Sex-selective Abortion
1. GABRIEL ARMAS-CARDONA, ESQ.
Gabriel.Armas -Cardona@nyu.edu
@GArmasCardona
X TALLER INTERNACIONAL MUJERES EN EL
SIGLO XXI
HAVANA, CUBA
7 MARCH, 2017
(Dis)Empowered Women: Armenian
Women as both Victim and
Perpetrator of Sex-Selective Abortion
2. Presentation objectives
Learning objectives:
Explain the theory behind sex-selective abortion (SSA)
Differentiate the ways Armenian women interact with SSA
Recognize the importance of empowerment in policy
Presenter objectives:
Formulate a policy for Armenia to combat SSA while
respecting reproductive rights
Develop general rights-respecting guidelines applicable to any
country experiencing SSA
2
3. What is sex-selective abortion?
Sex-selective abortion (SSA) is the termination of a
pregnancy due to the sex of the fetus.
Prevalent in only a few geographic areas:
South and SE Asia: China, India and Pakistan
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Europe: Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia
“More Than 100 Million Women Are Missing”
– Amartya Sen, discussing SSA
and infanticide in 1990
3
4. The difficult moral question of SSA
SSA poses a difficult moral question that divides
reproductive rights activists
Those focused on violence against women want to ban SSA
Those focused on empowering women and increasing their
autonomy want to legally allow SSA (even if they’re against it)
No easy solution to justice vs. autonomy
4
5. Necessary conditions for SSA
The 3 necessary conditions for SSA:
1) Available technology
1) Technology able to determine the sex of the fetus
2) Son preference
1) Parents must want a son over a daughter.
3) Fertility squeeze
1) Something limits how big the family can be
5
6. Introduction to Armenia
In Western Asia; a cultural mix of Europe and Asia
Features: landlocked, frozen conflict with neighbor,
first Christian nation in the world
Population: 3 million
Average salary: $390
Post-Soviet country
Inherited USSR’s liberal
abortion policy:
legal in the 1st trimester
6
7. Gender discrimination in Armenia
Gender-blind laws no facial legal discrimination
Instead, social discrimination and negligent state
institutions
Gender roles and social expectations are very strong
Examples:
Women are involved in public life, but “should” leave politics to men
Many families are de facto woman-headed because of male
migration, but men are still the assumed head of the family
Armenian women have more university degrees than men, but men
are viewed as smarter
Armenia is 69th out of 144 for women’s economic
participation and 27th for educational attainment
7
8. Armenia, SSA and sex ratio at birth
Armenia satisfies the conditions for SSA:
1) Available technology
Sonography available since 1993 (but de facto illegal as sex
determination occurs after 1st trimester)
2) Son preference
Women prefer a son to a girl 2.7:1. Comparable to other countries.
3) Fertility squeeze
Socio-economic conditions are the main reason for smaller
families. Armenia’s fertility rate is 1.7 children per woman.
Armenia’s sex ratio at birth (SRB) is 1.15
A normal SRB is 1.05–1.07
3rd highest after China and Azerbaijan
But only about 1% of Armenian women have a SSA
8
9. “Why does your family give preference to sons
rather than to daughters?”
10. The role of women in SSA
Women’s role in SSA is complex
Three different views:
1) Women as victims
2) Women as perpetrators
3) Women as rational actors
10
11. Women as victims
Unquestionable that some women face massive
pressure to commit SSA
Numerous stories of domestic violence or husbands
abandoning wives if she doesn’t provide a son
The SRB for children registered by fathers is 1.17.
The SRB for children registered by mothers is 1.06
(presumably instances of unmarried or abandoned women).
Husbands, and mothers-in-law, often have the last
word on reproductive choices, not the wife
11
12. Women as perpetrators
Mothers-in-law are a source of domestic violence
One study found 10% of instances of physical abuse caused by
them, anecdotes suggest even higher for psychological abuse
Women choose to commit SSA
Out of 1988 women, 23 admitted to committing SSA.
19 of the 23 said the choice was theirs.
In contradiction to what many would imagine:
Educated and wealthy Armenian women are
the most likely to have a sex-selective abortion
12
13. Women as perpetrators
Women’s education
Women with university degrees:
SRB of 1.6 for the third birth and a startling 3.2 for the fifth
Women with basic or elementary education:
Not comparable
Women’s income
Women with high personal income:
an unparalleled SRB of 8.2 for the fourth birth
Family’s with high income:
Not comparable
13
14. Correlation between sex ratio at birth for
different birth orders and high income
Woman’s
income
matters
Family’s
income
doesn’t
15. Women as rational actors
How best to understand this?
Women are rational actors
Rational actors choose the best option available to them,
regardless of whether the choices are unjustly limited
There is a spectrum of pressure: severe—mild—none
Sons benefit mothers:
Direct external (the benefits in Chart 1, like continuing lineage)
Indirect external (the positive opinions of others)
Internal (satisfying internalized expectations of a wife’s
duties)
15
16. Goal of policy: adjust the decision-making factors
in favor of girls
Policy should change pregnant women’s balancing of
choices in favor of keeping a female fetus over SSA
Decrease external boy preference
Combat domestic violence
Increase the value of girls
Educate the public on women’s legal equality
E.g. inheriting property
Increase women’s leadership opportunities
Not just high salaries or education
Have a social change campaign showing equality of girls
Girls can continue the family and be strong and powerful
16
17. Policy should not restrict options,
leads to rights violations
17
Possible
restriction
Likely negative
outcome(s)
Human right violated
Don’t tell the
fetal sex
Corruption in providing
medical service
Right to Health: right to access
health information
Criminalize
SSA
Corruption in providing
medical service
and
More unregulated
abortion
Right to Health: must use least
restrictive option
General Comment 22 of
ICESCR: Don’t impose
barriers to reproductive care
Penalize
doctors
Reduced medical care
and/or
Corruption in providing
medical service
Direct: none
Indirect: Don’t impose
barriers to reproductive care
18. Thank you for your time
18
Questions?
Gabriel Armas-Cardona, Esq.
Gabriel.Armas-Cardona@nyu.edu
@GArmasCardona
Hinweis der Redaktion
Introduce myself
Presenting on sex-selective abortion and how Armenian women can both be victims and perpetrators of it
(Thank the coordinators for putting me first. I hope my presentation helps spark good discussion.)
Ask the crowd if they have heard of Armenia before.
“Si conoce Armenia, le levanta su mano.”
Don’t say the middle example
“If you’re aware of the situation of women in India or China—two places known for SSA—it’s clear they’re not comparable to Armenia.”
Most common reason for an abortion is not wanting more children.
“I want to look at son preference in a little more detail.”
6 of the top 7 answers (top half) are about the positives of boys.
Surveyed population consists of women aged 15-49 that have ever been pregnant (n=1988). Published 2012. Respondents could pick multiple answers.
The significance is that families see boys as more valuable not that girls are less valuable.
Not controversial
“Culturally…”
Remember, women prefer sons to girls 2.7:1
Surveyed population consists of women aged 15-49 that have ever been pregnant (n=1988)
Remind people that a natural SRB is 1.05-1.07.
“You can see how much of an explosion in SSA occurs when the woman has a high personal income.”
“Considering that educated and wealthy women are considered some of the most empowered, how can you explain this?”
“Women as victims” is a binary (they are or are not victims) and does not capture the spectrum of pressure.
“Family identity & its continuation” was the most selected reason for son preference
“Doctors don’t make much money. They already engage in corruption. Remember…”
“…Cause violations of the right to health or access to reproductive care”
Reduced medical care: If a doctor thinks it might be for SSA reasons, even when it’s not, s/he might not perform the service.