"Not my problem"

This was overheard from a couple standing behind us in line at Sheng Kee Bakery at Daly City a couple months ago.

We were standing in line waiting to pay. DH was wearing our little girl in the Baby Bjorn. The woman behind us saw our little girl and then made a comment to her husband about how she would love to have a baby girl. Her husband responded with, "Not my problem." Now having a bit of understanding about how Chinese gets translated into English, I interpreted this to mean that he thought it was not up to him to determine a baby's gender.

This remark may seem strange to anyone educated in the United States. It is a well known fact that males produce X chromosome sperm and Y chromosome sperm which determine the baby's gender; females only produce the X chromosome and thus have no influence over the baby's gender. There's a quick summary here.

I have observed that many Asian people, particularly those who were not educated in the United States or those who have not studied Biology, still believe that a baby's gender is determined by the female.

I have been asked whether there is anything a doctor can do about getting a boy baby. The simple answer is no. However you can increase your chances of getting the gender you want from companies such as Microsort. They sort sperm to give you a better chance of getting a particular gender, but they do not guarantee that you will get that gender. Do you really want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on all these procedures when you may not get the gender you want?

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