In 1985, feminist philosopher Mary Anne Warren coined the term “gendercide.” She defined it as the “deliberate extermination of persons of a particular sex (or gender).” The term does not refer specifically to women or men. Any group targeted for death because of its sex or gender can be a victim of gendercide.
Throughout history, however, girls and women have been disproportionately affected. Gendercide can occur before birth through gender-biased sex selection, after birth through infanticide or deliberate neglect, and later in life through gender-related killings. Men and boys can also be targeted, especially during wars and other armed conflicts.
Gendercide is not a specific crime under international law. Instead, it is a term used by academics, activists and human rights professionals to describe patterns of gender-selective killing. Depending on the circumstances, these acts may be prosecuted as murder, crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide. The Genocide Convention does not list sex or gender as a protected group. However, the selective killing of men or women can form part of genocide against a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as occurred during the Srebrenica genocide.
At a glance
Gendercide statistics
women and girls were intentionally killed in total during 2024
women and girls killed in 2024 by intimate partners or other family members
women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members in Africa, the largest estimated number of any region
of women killed in Europe by intimate partners or other family members were murdered by an intimate partner
women killed per day by intimate partners or other family members in 2024
What forms can gendercide take?
Gendercide can take several forms. These practices do not occur in exactly the same way, but they share a connection to beliefs about the value and social roles of different genders.
Gender-biased prenatal sex selection
Gender-biased prenatal sex selection occurs when decisions about a pregnancy are based on a preference for one sex over another. Methods can include selecting embryos according to sex or terminating a pregnancy after determining the sex of the fetus. UNFPA estimates that nearly 1.2 million female births are “missing” each year because of gender-biased prenatal sex selection.
The human rights concern is the wider discrimination, pressure and coercion that can cause girls to be systematically rejected. In societies where sons are valued more highly, women may be pressured or forced to continue or end a pregnancy based on the expected sex of the child. While the biological norm is approximately 102-106 boys born for every 100 girls, UNFPA has documented sex ratios as high as 130 boys per 100 girls in affected populations.
Infanticide and fatal neglect
Infanticide occurs when a baby is intentionally killed after birth. Gender discrimination can also lead to deaths through neglect. For example, girls may receive less food, health care or protection than boys. In India alone, researchers estimated that 73,200 excess deaths among girls under five occurred in 2021, accounting for more than 10% of female deaths in that age group.
Not every difference in child mortality is evidence of deliberate killing. However, patterns in which girls experience unusually high mortality can reveal serious discrimination within families and communities. A 2023 global analysis found a statistically significant female disadvantage in under-five mortality in five countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, India and Iran.
Femicide
Femicide is the gender-related killing of women and girls. It can be committed by an intimate partner, relative, stranger or organized group. These killings are often preceded by other forms of abuse, including threats, coercive control, stalking, physical violence and sexual violence. In 2024, approximately 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or other family members about 137 every day.
Femicide is different from homicide generally because gender inequality plays a role in why or how the victim is killed. Dowry-related killings and killings intended to control a woman’s behavior or sexuality can fall within this category. Around 60% of all women and girls intentionally killed in 2024 were killed by intimate partners or family members, compared with roughly one in ten male homicide victims.
The selective killing of men and boys
Men and boys may be separated from women and deliberately killed during armed conflicts. They are often targeted because they are assumed to be combatants, future fighters or representatives of an opposing community. During the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically killed after many were separated from women and children.
These killings show why Warren originally described gendercide as a gender-neutral term. The fact that women and girls are disproportionately affected by many forms of gender-related violence does not mean men and boys can never be victims of gender-selective killing. The ICRC has reported that in some conflicts, men constitute as many as 90% of missing people and 96% of detainees, illustrating how gendered assumptions about combatant status can place civilian men at particular risk.
Examples for Gendercide
Gender-biased prenatal sex selection expanded rapidly after the mid-1970s. Researchers estimate that the annual number of missing female births rose from approximately 168,000 in 1980 to a peak of 1.51 million in 2005. By 2017, it had fallen to around 1.04 million – a decline of 31% from the peak – but remained widespread. A subsequently updated model estimated that 49.4 million female births were missing between 1970 and 2020.
The decline reflects improving sex ratios in some affected countries, including South Korea, but progress has been uneven. China and India have historically accounted for most missing female births, while imbalances have also appeared in parts of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Southeast Asia.
The annual figures are statistical estimates based on birth numbers and expected sex ratios; they are not recorded numbers of sex-selective abortions. The historical dataset is available from Chao et al. on Figshare, while the updated cumulative estimate comes from BMJ Global Health.
Example #1: China
Gender-biased sex selection has been a serious issue in China. One major factor is the country’s long history of son preference, which interacted with limits on family size and access to prenatal sex-determination technology. Many experts point to the One-Child Policy as an important contributor. Although the policy did not apply uniformly to every family, it increased pressure in some households to ensure their only child was a boy. This contributed to sex-selective abortions, abandonment, under-registration and, in some cases, infanticide. Because some girls were registered late or not at all, exact estimates remain uncertain.
The consequences can still be seen in China’s population. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the country had 716.85 million men and 688.04 million women at the end of 2025 – a difference of approximately 28.8 million. China’s 2020 census recorded 111.3 boys born for every 100 girls, down from 118.1 in 2010 but still above the usual biological range. UNFPA reports that China’s sex ratio at birth has improved, although significant regional imbalances remain.
China phased out the One-Child Policy by allowing married couples to have two children in 2016. It introduced a three-child policy in 2021. However, the effects of decades of gender-biased sex selection will take much longer to disappear.
Example #2: India
India is another large country where gender-biased sex selection has been a serious problem. As in China, son preference is connected to patriarchal gender norms, inheritance practices, dowry expectations, economic opportunities and the desire for smaller families. According to the 2025 UNDP Gender Inequality Index, which uses data from 2023, India ranked 102nd.
India’s sex ratio at birth has improved, but an imbalance remains. Government statistics show that the ratio increased from 904 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2017-2019 to 917 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2021-2023. This remains below the ratio expected in the absence of gender-biased sex selection.
Prenatal diagnostic technologies can make sex selection possible, but the technology itself is not the root cause. The deeper problem is the discrimination and social pressure that lead families to prefer sons over daughters. UNFPA emphasizes that responses should promote the responsible use of technology without restricting women’s access to legitimate health services.
Women and girls can also face fatal discrimination after birth. Although dowry is prohibited in India, dowry-related killings continue. According to the latest figures published by India’s National Crime Records Bureau, 6,156 dowry-death cases were registered in 2023—approximately 17 every day. Of the 4,284 dowry-death cases in which trials were completed that year, 1,501 resulted in convictions, giving a conviction rate of 35%. The trials completed in 2023 may concern cases originally registered in earlier years. Source: Indian Ministry of Home Affairs
These figures show how gender discrimination can continue throughout a woman’s life and, in its most extreme forms, lead to fatal violence.
What careers contribute to prevention?
Many careers contribute to preventing gendercide and related violence. Human rights researchers collect and analyze evidence, while monitoring and evaluation specialists study whether prevention programs are working. Gender specialists help organizations understand how policies and conflicts affect people differently.
Lawyers, prosecutors and investigators work to hold perpetrators accountable. Protection officers and humanitarian professionals identify people at risk during emergencies. Social workers, counselors and health professionals provide services to survivors and families.
Other relevant careers include data analysis, public policy, education, communications, advocacy and program management. Professionals in these fields may work for United Nations agencies, governments, research institutions, humanitarian organizations or local women’s rights groups.
Because gendercide has social, economic, legal and cultural causes, prevention requires people from many professional backgrounds. There is no single “gendercide job.” Instead, the issue appears within broader careers focused on gender equality, women’s rights, child protection, criminal justice, peacebuilding and atrocity prevention.
How can the world end gendercide?
If the world hopes to end gendercide, we need to understand why it occurs in the first place. Patriarchal beliefs, which are by no means limited to China and India, are a major contributor. Their effects can be reinforced by poverty, unequal inheritance rights, limited economic opportunities for women, dowry systems and reliance on sons for financial support in old age. When the sex of a child affects a family’s economic security or social status, son preference can become stronger.
Ending gendercide and establishing gender equality go hand in hand. This means challenging patriarchal systems, reducing poverty and changing social attitudes about gender. Girls and boys need equal access to education, health care and employment, while children’s rights and women’s rights must be protected.
Establishing and enforcing laws against gender-based violence is also essential. However, laws alone are not enough. Guidance from UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, WHO and OHCHR emphasizes that prevention must address the underlying discrimination while protecting access to safe abortion and legitimate reproductive health services. Effective responses also include improving social protection, supporting survivors of violence, investigating killings, engaging men and boys and working with community leaders to change harmful gender norms.
No child should be rejected, neglected or killed because of their sex, and no person should lose their life because of their gender.