The National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) said Wednesday that China's male-to-female birth ratio fell for the third consecutive year in 2011, but it remains 10 percentage points above the critical level, the People's Daily reported.

The statistics show that the ratio stood at 117.78 in 2011, compared with 117.94 in 2010 and 119.45 in 2009. The NPFPC attributed the fall to the tough measures implemented by the government.

Discussing the measures, NPFPC official Zhang Jian said: "This [fall] reflects the effectiveness of the comprehensive measures that China has taken in recent years, such as crackdowns on non-medical sex determinations and sex-selective abortions, and care-for-girls campaigns."

Despite the fall, China's sex ratio imbalance still poses a serious social threat to the country. By 2020, there will be an estimated 24 million more marriage-age men than women.

"The perennial birth sex ratio imbalance is both a serious demographical issue and a pressing social issue," Zhang said.

To tackle the problem at source, China has to create a healthy political environment for women, promote gender equality and boost women's social status, he added.

(China.org.cn March 30, 2012)

據《人民日報》報道，國家人口和計劃生育委員會周三表示，2011年我國男女出生性別比例連續第三年有所下降，但還是高出警戒線10個百分點。

數據顯示，2011年出生性別比為117.78，而2010年為117.94，2009年為119.45。計生委將此結果歸功于我國政府采取的嚴格措施。

計生委官員張建談到這些措施時表示：“這說明近年來開展的綜合治理措施取得一定成效，如打擊‘兩非’行為、關愛女孩行動等。”

雖然出生性別比例有所下降，但男女比例失衡仍對中國社會構成嚴重威脅。預計到2020年，適婚年齡男子將比女子多出2400萬。

張建說：“出生人口性別比長期持續偏高，不僅是嚴峻的人口問題，更是重大的社會問題。”

他補充道，要從根本上解決這個問題，我國必須為婦女創造一個健康的政治環境，推動兩性平等，提高婦女的社會地位。