Anyone browsing on the Voice website (the online version of the British Columbia-based Indo-Canadian newspaper the Voice) this week may have noticed an advert for sex selection IVF treatment at a Washington State-based clinic. Not only is this treatment unethical, it is illegal in Canada, so what exactly is going on here? Sex-selection techniques are ...
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a mini-me! At least that’s what we all hope for, according to an online study. Out of 2,387 participants, most said they would prefer their firstborn to be of their own gender. It may have been pure comedic genius in Austin Powers, but do we really want ...
Most women just want healthy babies. Period. The reality, though, is there’s still evidence of son preference in many countries. We immediately turn our minds to India and China, where sex-selection became so widespread that they’re now figuring out how to rectify extreme gender imbalance. Today, the United Nations favours a ban on all sex-based ...
The process of sex selection and aborting fetuses purely because they don’t have the set of chromosomes you were hoping for is barbaric, not least when it’s done to avoid having daughters. Few of us would dispute this — but has a move to prevent it gone too far? A proposed law, a draft resolution ...
Whether it’s because they want to start decorating their baby’s room, pick out names, or they just hate surprises, some couples want to know the sex of their baby as early as possible. If you fall under any of these categories, a simple blood test can do the trick. Blood tests that are done around ...
In an ideal world, equality and sex – preferably as much as possible – would be on the top of our list. “There’s more sex in countries with higher gender equality than in those with less,” according to a recent study by the American Psychological Association. It sounds idyllic, but our dreams for the future ...
Usually when we hear the term “sex selection” we think of the preference for little boys that has created a problematic gender imbalance in certain countries. But sex selection is happening in places other than China and India. One American couple wanted a girl so bad that they were willing to take out a loan ...
It’s hard to believe that female feticide is a problem that’s getting worse, but in India, the gender gap is widening so much it has become a chasm. A law was passed in 1996 barring screening for sex, but rich women are still finding ways to get the procedure done illegally — with grave consequences. ...
Where sex-selection should always be the exception (if it indeed has to happen at all), it has been the rule in some countries. Authorities are finally taking the whip out on Taiwanese doctors who continue to perform sex-selective abortions, threatening to revoke their license if they’re caught. The possibility (the AFP piece doesn’t exactly say ...
What would we do in a world without women? This is usually a philosophical question for apocalyptic novels that take place far into the future, but China is having to face it now. China may be bridging the gender gap that widened after the Chinese government instituted the one-child policy in 1980, but there’s still ...
So, we’re having this baby. It’s due in a few weeks and we’re trying to get organized with all...
I recently heard about what is claimed to be the rising phenomenon of Japanese men remaining virgins for longer...
Ladders. Patriarchal conspiracy. I’ll explain… This week I climbed a ladder. I was trying to reach a loft space,...
Dear Madame X, My boyfriend needs to look at porn while we have sex. It bothers me because I...
Mrs. Dalloway is yet another feminist classic that I had to grow into. Wrapped up in Woolf’s instantly recognizable...
Last week saw a Big Thing come to our soggy little island. Well, it was a Big Thing for...
Last weekend I was entertaining a guest, you know, the sort I was planning to have lots and lots...
All little girls want to be princesses… right?! It’s bad enough that toy aisles are separated out by what...
