Determinants of Fertility

Introduction A wide range of social, demographic and economic factors determine the fertility level of a population. These determinants of fertility, however, do not operate independent of each other. They are closely interrelated with each other, And the fertility level in a population is a net result of the interplay between them. The differentials effect of these determinants results in considerable variations in the levels of fertility among different groups of the same population. These differentials can be viewed in terms of ecological factors like rural-urban residence; social factors like the level of literacy and educational attainment, religion, caste and race; and economic factors like occupation and economic status of the individuals or groups.

Determinants It is important to note that fertility performance of a population is determined to a large extent by such demographic characteristics as age and sex composition. It is, therefore, necessary to eliminate their effects while studying the fertility differentials in a population. For this reason, it is advisable to use some standard measure such as total fertility rate and mean number of children ever born to women in the reproductive age span. Residence and Fertility Rural-urban differentials in fertility levels exist in all the countries of the world. In the developed countries of the West, these differentials have narrowed down considerably during the recent past and it is expected that they would eventually disappear as forces of modernization impose increasing homogeneity in terms of attitude and lifestyle of people. In the developing countries, rural-urban differentials in fertility rates persist markedly. These differentials arise out of differences in sex composition of population, standard of living, cost of child rearing, occupational status, income levels, levels of educational attainment, female employment and so on.

For instance, in India with the decline in fertility levels, the rural-urban differentials have sharpened during the recent times. The SRS estimates reveal a consistently higher fertility rates in the rural areas than in the urban areas.

B. Education and Fertility Another important aspect of fertility differential relates to the educational attainment of couple and levels of fertility. The level of literacy and educational attainment, particularly among females, is one of the most important determinants of fertility behaviour. Several studies have confirmed a negative association between the educational attainment of women and fertility rate. This is true for both rural and urban areas. The SRS data are indicative that there is a progressive decline in the total fertility rate with rise in the educational status of women in India.

TFR (Total Fertility Rate) by residence, Religion, 2016 C. Religion, Castes/Tribes and Fertility Religion is another important determinant of fertility in any population. However, it is important to note that religion has more significant influence on fertility behaviour in the less developed or developing countries than the developed countries. A high fertility level in some cases is attributed to religious prohibition of birth control and values about the importance of children. There exists a remarkable difference in fertility levels in different religious groups in India also. The Muslims, for instance report a higher fertility than any other religious community. They are followed by the Hindus with respect to fertility levels. TFR (Total Fertility Rate) by residence, Religion, 2016 Region Muslim Hindu Christian India 2.6 2.1 2

Likewise, fertility differentials have been noticed among different caste groups/tribes as well. Several studies have established that fertility levels are generally higher among lower-caste Hindus than that of the upper-caste Hindus. NFHS also provides data on fertility levels for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. A comparison of the same shows that fertility rate is the highest among the scheduled castes in the country, followed by scheduled tribes and other backward communities.

Economic Status and Fertility Among the economic determinants of fertility, the most commonly referred to are economic well being of the couples or group, occupation of the husband, involvement of women in the gainful employment etc. An inverse relationship between economic status of the couple and fertility level is a universal phenomenon. Based on NSS data on per capita monthly household expenditure and fertility estimates of Registrar General of India, scholars have confirmed a negative association between economic status and fertility levels in India. This hold true for urban as well as rural areas. The NFHS data on fertility differentials of women belonging to different economic status groups also reveal a decline in fertility levels with rise in the economic status.

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