A town in Poland is offering a reward to the family who produces the first baby boy in 10 years.
In Miejsce Odrzańskie, a town of fewer than 300 people, a decade has gone by without the birth of a single boy, while 12 girls have been born in that time. “Definitely girls rule in our village,” said local resident Adrianna Pieruszka. The leader of the local volunteer firefighter brigade Tomasz Golasz has two daughters with his wife and would like a son, but based on the tradition of the village he doesn’t think it’s likely.
“It has been going on for several decades,” Golasz said of the gender-slanted birth rate. “My neighbor also tried and has two daughters. I don’t think women give birth to boys here.” Golasz says his fire brigade consists of 24 women and only 8 men. The youth firefighting squads are all female.
The mayor Rajmund Frischko is also the father of two girls and has done some research on the unusual pattern. “We looked into it further, reviewing birth certificates,” he said. “I think that what the older residents say is confirmed. Girls are constantly born and the birth of boys is rare. Explaining this puzzle will not be easy.”
Some residents are less than thrilled by the campaign to increase the male population. “Boys are noisy and naughty,” said Malwina Kincler, 10. “At least now we have peace and quiet. You can always meet them somewhere else.”
Frishcko has not yet revealed what the prize would be for the first boy born after the announcement and has not ruled out IVF treatment, which allows gender selection.
