On average each year Armenia potentially loses around 1400 future mothers, says the report of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

A survey of women of reproductive age (15-49) from 2830 Armenian households, who had at least one pregnancy in their lifetime was held. The study suggests that 0.8 per cent of 900,000 Armenian women around 7200 women of reproductive age has had a sex selective abortion in the last five years.

“This means that on average each year Armenia potentially loses around 1400 future mothers,” the report says.

Sex selective abortions are most vividly expressed in case of the 3rd and the 4th child, among ng urban women, among women with higher education and among women with high level of income (AMD100,000 and above).

Every two out of five women that have passed the quantitative survey have reported son preference during their first pregnancy, while only one in seven women wanted a girl. At the same time, about half (44%) of the surveyed women had no sex preference during their first pregnancy.

“Based on the answers of participants of the qualitative survey, one may conclude that there are no significant problems in regard with different attitudes towards girls and boys within the families, and that the problem lies with the prospects for future self-expression of women in the society and their higher vulnerability,” the reports says.