Indian childless couples prefer adopting girls over boys

Delhi-based Sharma family has been on cloud nine ever since they adopted a girl child after a long wait of 12 months. There are many childless couples like them who are opting for a girl child over a boy, suggesting a trend of changing mindsets in India, according to NGOs who facilitate adoption. Their claim is also supported by Ministry of Women and Child Development data. As many as 641 orphaned children were adopted between April and June this year by Indian couples of which 375 were girls, the data says.

As per an in-country adoption data submitted in the Lok Sabha today, highest number of girl children were adopted by childless couples in Andhra Pradesh (58) followed by Karnataka (50) and Tamil Nadu (40). Similarly, between April 2013 and March this year, a total of 3,924 children were adopted out of which 2,293 were girls. Of these, 525 girls were adopted by childless couples in Maharashtra, while 221 girl children were adopted in West Bengal and 203 in Andhra Pradesh. Even in Delhi, 107 girl children were adopted against 49 boys during the same period.

"Families feel that taking a girl child home is like taking home an old age emotional security as girls care more for their parents as compared to the sons. Also, according to them, girls develop a deeper bonding with parents compared to a son.
"Now a days, parents are not dependent on their children and so they want to feel the joy of having a kid and don't think about gender. Then there are feelings of the blessings that one gets from 'kanyadaan'," said Vijaya Raina, director of SOS adoption home.
Raina cited an example of Delhi-based Sharma couple who feel blessed after adopting a girl child. "They (Sharmas) had to wait of an year. But their live has changed for good after adopting the girl child," she said.
Lauren Campos, Assistant Director of Adoption (Delhi Council for Child Welfare - Palna) said that there are couples who want to adopt a girl child for the second time.