Dr Glenda Simms

Gender expert Dr Glenda Simms does not accept the findings of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that indicate parents favour girls over boys in dispensing care. She says the UNICEF data are likely overgeneralised, as traditionally, women are known to love and treat their sons better than their daughters.

"I doubt whether any family takes one boy to a different doctor than her family doctor and, therefore, I am not convinced," she says.

She concedes, though, that there might be some disparity during breastfeeding because young mothers "don't want the boys to continue sucking on their breast", because of the sexual connotations attached to the action.

Data of visits by children to a popular private paediatric clinic in the Corporate Area over a two-week period did not show any significant disparities between boys and girls zero to five years old. In fact, slightly more boys (52 per cent) were found to be visiting the clinic than girls.

However, the records at the Bustamante Hospital for Children showed that last year, more boys (54 per cent) zero to five years old visited the facility compared to girls in the same age group.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com