Educational Media Reviews Online

In Daughters of Gardeners, Karina Marceau, a Canadian journalist, exposes a looming demographic crisis in India. At the center of this crisis is the widespread practice of selective abortion of female fetuses. This is not a “pro-life” versus “pro-choice” abortion film in any way, nor is it one of those big-budget commercial documentaries. Daughters of Gardeners is a nicely-done educational film that explores this relatively unknown phenomenon, from the causes, which are deeply rooted in traditional Indian culture, to the potentially far-reaching consequences.

One of the strengths of this film is that it takes a holistic view of the issue. Through excellent visuals, interviews with experts and affected individuals, and poignant statistics, Marceau presents the feticide as both a cause and a symptom of a larger crisis for women in India. The film looks at how traditional Indian cultural beliefs and practices have undervalued women and given negative connotations to the birth of a daughter. Marriage traditions are largely to blame, since the bride’s family traditionally pays for the wedding, and even though they are no longer legal, dowries are often still paid by the parents of a bride to the husband’s family. Traditional weddings are also extremely expensive and can push the bride’s family into debt and poverty, so in a very real sense a disincentive for having a daughter may constitute a large financial “penalty.” According to Marceau, “Prenatal Sex Determination Tests” (PNDTs - which generally refer to ultrasound tests) have been illegal in India since 1994, yet there may exist upwards of 100,000 ultrasound clinics (mostly unlisted). There has been only one prosecution for sex determination in nearly 15 years. Amnesty International estimates that every year 500,000 female fetuses are aborted, 15,000 women are murdered for their dowries, and 45,000 women are kidnapped and coerced into prostitution.

Beyond this plight of India’s women exists the desperate poverty that may lead to the murder of new brides over dowry money, as well as the legions of men who are unable to find wives or have families of their own, that fuels the problems of kidnapping and prostitution (resulting in the increasing spread of HIV). Between the widespread poverty and millions of men with no jobs or prospects, nor wives or children of their own, this largely imbalanced population may also be a source of instability. It is noted in the film that historically, a similar population imbalance existed just prior to the start of World War I, and this issue is not limited to India. In fact, it has been documented in many Asian nations, most notably China. The importance of the issue is magnified by the fact that despite the abortion of so many fetuses, India is already one of the most populated nations in the world with well over 1 billion people, and is even set to surpass China in the next 15 years.

Daughters of Gardeners begins with disturbing yet powerful footage of dead female fetuses floating in the brown eddies of a river, which may be shocking to younger viewers but sets a compelling starting point. The film does a good job of presenting this complex, potentially controversial, and challenging issue in context for Canadian and American viewers, as well as the magnitude of this issue in India. Anyone looking for solutions will not find them in this documentary, but perhaps that is a great opportunity for a class assignment after viewing the film.

At just short of an hour, the film is a great length for an educational setting, with enough depth to present a clear view of the issue. The narration is in either French or English with occasional subtitles. Daughters of Gardeners is recommended for high school and undergraduate libraries supporting global or Asian studies, women’s studies, and human rights.