A woman in Haryana has given birth to her eleventh child, a baby boy, after being married for 19 years and already having ten daughters. The delivery took place earlier this week at a private hospital in Jind district. The incident has once again raised concerns about women’s health and the strong social pressure in many parts of India to have a male child.

The woman, who is 37 years old, was admitted to Ojas Hospital and Maternity Home in Uchana on January 3. She delivered the baby the next day. Doctors said the pregnancy and delivery were high-risk because of her age and the number of previous pregnancies. However, both the mother and the newborn are safe and recovering well.

Dr Narveer Sheoran, who supervised the delivery, told news agency PTI that the woman required three units of blood during the procedure. Despite the complications, the delivery was normal. The mother was discharged within 24 hours and returned to her village in Fatehabad district along with her newborn son.

What husband said

The woman’s husband, Sanjay Kumar, a 38-year-old daily wage labourer, said the family had long hoped for a son. Speaking to PTI, he said that both he and some of his daughters wished to have a brother in the family. He confirmed that this was his eleventh child and that he has ten daughters.

Sanjay said that although his income is limited, he is trying his best to educate all his daughters. Most of them are currently attending school, and his eldest daughter is studying in Class 12. He also responded to criticism on social media, saying that he does not discriminate against his daughters and believes that girls today are succeeding in many fields and making the country proud.

The family has been in the spotlight after a video went viral showing Sanjay struggling to remember the names of all his ten daughters. The video sparked debate online, with many people criticising the family for promoting patriarchal thinking.

The incident has once again brought attention to Haryana’s long-standing issue of an imbalanced sex ratio. In 2025, the state recorded 923 females for every 1,000 males. While this shows some improvement compared to previous years, it remains well below the national average of 1,020. Experts say such cases highlight how deeply rooted social attitudes favouring male children still exist, despite government awareness campaigns and efforts to promote gender equality.