POPULATION MYTH (3)
There is clear evidence that region rather than religion is more important in influencing
fertility rate in India. Fertility among Hindus of Uttar Pradesh is much higher than among Muslims of
Tamil Nadu. Socioeconomic conditions influence fertility. Family income and education are more
closely related to fertility rate than religion. Muslims are the poorest group among all religious groups
in India. Poverty is also a barrier to education. People who are employed have a lower fertility than
those without work. TFR also decreases with increase in the age of marriage. Exposure to family
planning is lowest among the Muslims. For Muslims unmet need of family planning services is highest.
The study done by the committee on the status of women in India, 1974, showed that the
Muslims are least polygamous among all the groups (Tribal groups: 15.75%, Buddhists: 9.7%,
Jains: 6.77%, Hindus: 5.8%, Muslims: 5.7%). This shatters another myth. Polygamy on a scale
is not even possible in India, as the number of women has been significantly lower than the number
of men thru the seven decades under study (1951-2020)
The total fertility rate (TFR) of level 2.1 children per woman in a population is
generally taken as replacement level fertility. In India we are not very far from the
replacement rate.
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