Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen has renewed attention to what he calls the "missing women" crisis in a commentary published in The Lancet medical journal. Sen, who champions human development as the progressive acquisition of freedoms and capabilities, identified a significant deficit of women relative to men globally.
The missing women phenomenon stems from multiple systemic issues including inadequate medical care, sex-selective abortion practices, and widespread gender inequality. These factors combine to create demographic imbalances that reflect deeper societal discrimination against women and girls.