The gradual rise of the sex ratio at birth observed since the 1980s in several countries from East to South Asia has challenged the optimistic scenario of Asia's demographic miracle (rapid fertility and mortality decline). As sex imbalances at birth in these countries have grown and are bound to create large surplus of men in the decades to come, this unexpected demographic episode has also forced policy-makers to reconsider their stand on sex selection. This is an obvious challenge for governments who had earlier aggressively promoted fertility decline and are often adverse to intervene in domains such as deeply-rooted family traditions or the booming private healthcare sector.

In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the demographic processes that have led to this rise in the sex ratio at birth in several Asian countries and of the underlying sociological context that explains it. We will then discuss some of their likely consequences in affected regions. We will also introduce the debate on the role of policy intervention and its capacity to significantly alter discriminatory gender behavior.