Human and Economic Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Geography)

Explanation

Assertion (A) is False: The natural sex ratio at birth worldwide, including in India, favors male births. Typically, about 105 male births occur for every 100 female births. In India, this ratio is similar or sometimes even more skewed toward males, due to both biological factors and socio-cultural practices. For instance, data from the 2011 Census of India show an overall sex ratio of about 940 females per 1,000 males, indicating that more male children are born than female children. Reason (R) is True: Biologically, male infants are known to be more vulnerable to certain health complications, including infections and genetic disorders. Consequently, male children tend to have a slightly higher mortality rate in infancy compared to female children. This phenomenon is observed in many populations worldwide, including India.