Even today, there are societies where women and girls are seen as less valuable than men. This often leads to discrimination such as unequal pay for equal work and to domestic violence. The research project "Missing Girls" explores gender discrimination in European history. The goal is to put in place measures that can improve the situation in today's developing countries.
Gender discrimination, such as sex-selective abortion, infanticide and severe neglect of young girls, is a major problem in many developing countries today and has resulted in millions of "missing girls". The phenomenon of "missing girls" is particularly common in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caucasus. Since these practices also existed in ancient Europe, but disappeared in the mid-1900s, it is important to understand why they arose and why they disappeared.
"This knowledge can help developing countries design better policies. It is also important to examine this phenomenon from a historical perspective, since it was practically an unknown phenomenon in the past," explains Francisco Beltrán Tapia, professor at NTNU.
"Missing girls" is a major research project at NTNU. Here, researchers have studied the number of girl children and boy children in European countries over a period of 250 years. The project has received NOK 9.8 million in FRIPRO funding from the Research Council of Norway.
Fewer girls in Southern and Eastern Europe
Through the project, the researchers have uncovered that sex-selective abortion and infanticide were not only limited to today's developing countries such as China and India, but also occurred in Europe, from approximately 1750 to 1950. Sex-selective abortion and infanticide were among the practices that contributed to high female mortality early in life. In areas such as southern and eastern Europe, there were significantly fewer girls than expected. For example, in Greece in the 1930s, as many as five percent of all girls were missing. Boys were simply considered more valuable than girls.
"The boys were able to find work and contribute to the family's finances. Girls' and women's work in the home was not valued or considered financially lucrative. Greece has historically been a patriarchal society where men have had a dominant role both in the family and in society. This cultural appreciation of men over women reinforced that it was simply better economics to favor sons," says Tapia.
Uneven distribution of resources
In addition to this with direct violence, resources were also unevenly distributed between the sexes. During periods of extremely high mortality, boys received both more food and care, which had dramatic consequences for whether the girls survived or not. This shows that even indirect discrimination, such as giving girls less food and care, could have fatal consequences.
"Girls often had less and poorer quality food, which often led to malnutrition. As a result, they became more vulnerable to diseases and infections, and they had less chance of surviving during periods of disease outbreaks. As girls were often overlooked or received minimal care, the risk of mortality increased," says Tapia.
The consequences of historical practices
Historically, cultural practices such as the dowry system have contributed to the discrimination against girls. Dowry made girls an economic burden for poor families, leading to higher rates of sex-selective abortion and infanticide. In Greece, as in many other countries with similar systems, sons were favored, because families had to pay dowries to marry off daughters. This financial pressure made many families prefer sons, who did not require such costs of marriage.
Over time, with increased urbanisation, economic development, and social reforms, these practices began to decline in Europe. Better access to education and work opportunities for women outside the home helped increase their value in society. In addition, social reforms and policy measures helped to reduce the inequality in the distribution of resources between boys and girls.
Important measures to reduce gender discrimination in today's developing countries
The researchers in the project have revealed that the lack of work opportunities for women, the dowry system and the custom of women moving to their husband's family weaken women's position. These problems are exacerbated by poverty, as men and boys are given priority when resources are limited.
"By understanding the cultural and economic causes of gender discrimination and why these practices emerged and disappeared in Europe, we can draw parallels to the current situation in developing countries. With this knowledge, we can design effective measures to reduce gender discrimination and ensure that all children, regardless of gender, have equal opportunities for nutrition, medical treatment and care," concludes Tapia.