Q70
Geography (incl. West Bengal)Population, Census & Tribes
Sex Ratio in a population is defined as
- a.the number of females per 1000 males.
- b.the number of boys born to a couple in their lifetime.
- c.the number of infant girls per 1000 females.
- d.the number of males minus the number of females in a population.
Answer: (A) the number of females per 1000 males.
The Census of India defines sex ratio as the number of females per 1,000 males, so option A is correct. Census 2011 figures: India 943, Kerala highest at 1,084, Haryana lowest among states at 879, and West Bengal 950. Option C resembles the child sex ratio, which is girls per 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (919 for India in 2011); option B is closer to a fertility measure; and option D is just a difference in numbers. Note that the UN and many countries express sex ratio the other way round, as males per 100 females. Laws to link: the PCPNDT Act, 1994 and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme (2015).