NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A United Nations Population Fund official says a study of Vietnam's birth rate in recent years revealed a spike in the number of boys being born.
Fund representative Bruce Campbell said in a U.N. release Friday the number of male births in Vietnam for every 100 female births has increased from 106.2 in 2002 to 112.1 in 2008.
If the trend continues, within three years the Asian country could see more than 115 boys born for every 100 girls.
The organization's report cites affordable sex-determination and sex-selection technology as a likely cause of the gender shift.
Campbell said a gender imbalance in Vietnam's birth rate could have significant repercussions, such as increased pressure for young women to marry or a rise in the demand for sex workers.
"The consequences of a significant imbalance between men and women should be taken into account in all related policy decisions, including further enforcement of the regulations governing sex-selection services in the country," the fund official said.
