EFFECTS OF RELIGION

ON FERTILITY

Bikash Gyawali

Mph, B.Sc optometry1

FERTILITY

Actual bearing of children is fertility

Fertility period of a women's is from 15- 49 years(Age)

Fertility depends on several factors:

Biological – age , health, environment

Social cultural – Marriage , contraception , abortion

Economic – per capita income, urbanization,

tradition, industrialization 2

DETERMINANTS OF FERTILITY RATE

Demographic factors

Status of women

Level of education

Economic factors

Religions

Social and cultural factors

Level of available health care

Machismo ( aggressive masculine pride)

Pressure from government

Type of residence

Marriage

Contraceptive use 3

STATUS OF INDIA IN FERTILITY RATE

WITHIN SAARC

Afghanistan - 5.43 Islam (99%)

Bangladesh - 2.45 Islam (89.6%), Hinduism (9.6%)

Bhutan - 2.02 Buddhism (76%). Hinduism

(23%)

India - 2.51 Hinduism (80.5%), Islam (13.4%),

Christian (2.3%)

Maldives - 1.76 Islam (99.4%)

Nepal - 2.3 Hinduism (80.6%), Buddhism (10.7

Pakistan - 2.86 Islam (97%)

Sri Lanka - 2.13 Buddhism (70%), Hinduism(15%)

Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of

January 1, 2014

Religion status

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FERTILITY RATE AMONG DIFFERENT

RELIGION(IN INDIA)

Hindu - 4.5 4.1 3.7

Muslim - 5.6 5.4 4.9

Christian - 3.8 3.4 2.9

Sikh - 3.9 3.5 3.1

1991 2001 2011

Source: census ,NFHS,NSS 5

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FERTILITY RATE AMONG DIFFERENT RELIGION

IN VARIOUS STATES OF INDIA (CENSUS 2011)

States Religions Fertility rate

H(%) M(%) C(%)

Andhra Pradesh Hindu Muslim Christian 87.46 9.5 1.34

Tamil nadu Hindu Muslim Christian 87.5 5.8 6.12

Maharashtra Hindu Muslim Christian 79 .8 11.5 0.96

Gujarat Hindu Muslim Christian 88.5 9.67 0.52

Utterpradesh Hindu Muslim Christian 79.7 19.2 0.18

Assam Hindu Muslim Christian 61.47 34.22 3.74

Jammu &

Kashmir

Hindu Muslim Christian 28.44 68.31 0.28

West Bengal Hindu Muslim Christian 70.54 27.01 0.72 7

FERTILITY RATE AMONG DIFFERENT RELIGION

IN VARIOUS STATES OF INDIA

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GROWTH RATE OF FERTILITY AMONG HINDU

& MUSLIM

Muslim population still grows at a faster rate than the Hindu population,

but the gap between the two growth rates is narrowing fast.9

USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES AMONG

DIFFERENT RELIGION

Contraceptive use is the highest among Jains (75%),

Buddhists/neo-Buddhists (68%) and Sikhs (67%),

according to NFHS 3(National Family Health Survey)

Contraceptive use is 58% among Christians and Hindus

and lowest among Muslims, 42%

Contraceptive use among married women varies clearly

by education, religion, caste, and wealth

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USE OF CONTRACEPTIVES AMONG HINDUS &

MUSLIMS(NFH 3)

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RELIGIOUS CONCEPT

Each religious group has its own traditions and mores

It has been observed that age at marriage, remarriage,

divorce, customs and beliefs and importance of children

– all have great impact on fertility performance – which

vary from one religious to other

Similarly indirect and institutional factor like- age at

entry into marital union, exposure to intercourse within

marriage and duration of marriage are regulated by social

customs and practices in different religions which are

responsible factors in fertility12

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RELIGIOUS CONCEPT

The Muslim and Catholic religions encourage large

families

They oppose any forms of contraception

Muslim-Hindu differences in the desire for an additional

child and the minimum use of contraceptive tends to

increase fertility rate

In many states of India, contraceptive use is lower

among Muslims than Hindus 14

CONTD.

The concept of remarriage is more privilege in different

religions

Similarly the contribution of socio-economic

characteristics among the different religion has also a

great impact in fertility

Religions impose religious oath and practices of self-

denial, either lifelong or outside marriage

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Religions may encourage literacy in order to read the

scriptures(holy book), which in turn may lead to indirect effects

on fertility – concept of fertility among different religions

Similarly number of real studies have argued that Catholics

show different fertility than Christian church(fundamentalist)

and this is due to differences in the content of their religious

beliefs

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Islam is hypothesized to affect fertility directly by its

position on the moral acceptability of birth control, and

by its views on marriage, polygamy and divorce

It is popularly believed that because Islam permits a man

to take multiple wives, father large numbers of children

and unilaterally divorce his wife, this encourages high

fertility in Islamic populations

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STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOV. OF INDIA TO

DECREASE IN FERTILITY RATE

POLICIES

1. Active population control policy (1961-71)

2. National population policy (1976)

3. Family planning during emergency (1975-77)

4. Policies in 6th ,7th ,8th ,9th plan (1990s)

5. The New National population policy (2000)

6. National population policy of 2002

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PLANS & PROGRAMS

1. A rational human resource development plan is in place for

provision of IUCD, Minilap and NSV to empower the facilities

within the Sub Centers with trained ANMs & ASHA workers

2. Ensuring quality care in Family Planning services by

establishing Quality Assurance Committees at state and district

levels

3. Emphasis on MinilapTubectomy services because of its

logistical simplicity and requirement of only MBBS doctors and

not post graduate gynecologists/ surgeons19

CONT.

4. Increasing male participation and promotion of ‘Non Scalpel

Vasectomy’’.

5. National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme’ (NFPIS) under

which clients are insured in the possible incidence of deaths,

complications and failures following sterilization and the

providers/ accredited institutions are compensate against

litigations(action) in those cases

6. Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors - under the

scheme MoHFW provides compensation for loss of wages to the

beneficiary and also to the service provider (& team) for

conducting sterilizations

·

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CONT.

7. Accreditation of more private/ NGO facilities to increase the provider base for family planning services under PPP

8. Improving contraceptives supply management up to peripheral facilities

9. Demand generation activities in the form of display of posters, billboards and other audio and video materials in the various facilities

10. Strong Political Will and Advocacy at the highest level, especially in states with high fertility rates 21

Thank you !

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