Even in this day and age, the unfortunate reality is that there is still a prevailing preference for a boy child than a girl. This obsession for a boy child had gotten so out of control in states like Haryana and Rajasthan that the two states have the worst sex ratio in the country.
It was the result of selective abortions, aka female foeticide where female fetuses were killed in the womb by parents as soon as they get to know the gender of the unborn child.
BCCL