For centuries Georgians strongly preferred boys. But since the fall of the Soviet Union their customs and values have changed
Ms Kurbanova does not believe, as many older Georgians do, that sons are better than daughters. Some families feel they need a male child to carry on the bloodline; Ms Kurbanova thinks this is hokum. Traditional families expect sons to look after their parents in their old age, whereas a daughter would look after her husband’s parents. Ms Kurbanova does not see why it has to be that way.
That changed when the Soviet Union imploded. Ultrasound became widely available. And patriarchal values made a comeback, perhaps because the collapse of a bossy state prompted Georgians to seek guidance elsewhere. Many turned to the church and to their families. Traditional values, combined with modern technology, led to a surge in the abortion of girl babies. Georgia’s sex ratio swung wildly. In 1991 there were roughly 105 boys born for every 100 girls.
Several factors may explain why Georgians started valuing girl babies again. After the initial post-communist turmoil, women’s wages rose, giving them more bargaining power at home. This made it easier for them to overrule husbands who wanted to abort a girl . It also planted the idea in parental heads that a daughter may grow up to earn serious money, and therefore be able to support them in their old age.
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