These girls and hundreds more got new names yesterday in India. Their given names were “Nakusa” or “Nakushi” which in Hindi means “Unwanted.” Yes, their parents named them “Unwanted” because they wanted boys instead. In India, boys are favored because when girls get married, parents are expected to provide dowries and expensive weddings. Under Hindu law, only boys can light the funeral pyres for their parents, although it is generally the daughters who hang around and take care of their aging parents. “Unwanted” indeed!
The result of this blatant discrimination against female children in India is that more boys than girls are being born, due to parents aborting female fetuses. Even those girls lucky enough to be born may not survive long due to neglect. And those who do might be saddled with the “Unwanted” name.
The government of Maharashtra in Central India decided to try to help girls with this incredibly cruel name. In a mass “impression management” ceremony, these girls were allowed to choose new names. In addition to boosting these girls’ self-esteem, their newly chosen names should make it easier for them to “obtain more favorable outcomes from others in particular social situations” as Newman (2010) describes the goal of impression management (p. 165).
Here is a link to read more about hundreds of Indian girls no longer named “Unwanted.”
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