How did son preference affect China’s sex ratio?

The one-child policy, implemented by the Chinese government in 1980, significantly skewed the country's sex ratio toward males due to a traditional cultural preference for sons.12

This preference led to severe consequences for female children, including a rise in the abortion of female fetuses and an increase in the number of female infants who were killed, abandoned, or placed in orphanages. These practices resulted in a profound demographic imbalance; by 2016, there were 33.59 million more men than women in China.12

The enforcement of this policy through strict measures, such as forced abortions and sterilizations, reflects a profound violation of human rights and bodily autonomy, which are fundamental ethical principles that must be upheld in any society.2