The scary thing is, in some parts of the world this isn't a joke. In a certain
large eastern country, much more emphasis is placed on male children (not that it isn't so elsewhere in the world) than female.
Tradition dictates that when a woman is to be married off, her dowry goes to her husband's family, and all her obligations to her family are shifted to his. As a result, for most
rural farmers, raising a female child will result in a great drain on the family's resources, with little apparent gain. Male children work on the farms, contribute to the family, bring home dowries and care for their parents in their old age.
Traditionally this was remedied by
infanticide, although this is considered a taboo subject anywhere and not likely to show up on statistics from say, CNN. However, in our modern society, it's common to use
ultrasound to determine the sex of a child. This technology, availiable to even the middle class of that country has resulted in an enormous
population disparity. Estimates give a ratio of one female
person, not child, in that country for every six males, and that is a
conservative estimate. I know it sounds a bit extreme.