Oh baby.

 

So for International Political Economy we have to do this "reflective journal" every second week demonstrating our "understanding" of the the topic. Mostly I really detest this compulsory task. But it only has to be 300 words and tonight I did my last "reflective journal entry" on the highly disturbing issue of female infanticide and what it means in the context of the global political economy.

Is it coherant? Maybe.

Should it be used as a legitimate source of information? No.

Do I sound like a bit of a wank? Yes.

It became apparent in my reflections of this week’s topic that the idea of reality as gendered is not merely a concept, but something that has significant and damaging consequences for millions around the world, as seen in the age old phenomenon of female infanticide.

However, my exploration of female infanticide led me to find that although it has been practiced for centuries, this systematic culling of girl babies has been exacerbated by the pressures of the global political economy. This is because I found contemporary reasons behind female infanticide to be almost always economic or political, rather than directly cultural or religious.

For example, in India, girl babies are often killed so that the family does not have to pay a dowry to the groom and his family when the girl marries. Although the tradition of a dowry is cultural, the financial burdens of it are inextricably linked to the pressures of the global political economy. This is also seen in China, where the introduction of the “One Child” policy in 1979 caused an upsurge in the “disappearance” of girl babies. Poorer families would choose to have one boy, as males are usually the main income earners, either because they are more employable or earn higher wages for the same work, or because they are able to do more agricultural work.

My reflection of this week’s topic brought me to the understanding that terms such as “gender” are not just concepts used in university lectures. It also confirmed my perspective of reality as gendered, as seen in the culling of female babies in poorer countries. This is a phenomenon which continues despite efforts (like those of the Chinese government), indicating that the pressures of the global political economy and the perennial question of “who gets what, when and how” has worsened if not directly caused in many cases instances of female infanticide.