Title: Impact of child mortality and sociodemographic attributes on family size desires: some data from urban India
Abstract: Using follow-up data on a sample of mothers who gave birth at a Lucknow city hospital in India, the family size ideals of the women were examined in relation to experienced and perceived levels of child mortality and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The fear of child mortality and their own experience tended to increase the size of family which the mothers considered to be ideal. Under the conditions of assured survival of all children born to a couple, the study mothers considered on the average 2.83 children as ideal, as compared to 3.68 under conditions of uncertain survival. The couples with a rural background thought higher numbers of children were ideal, as compared to those with an urban background. More of the females who belonged to joint families preferred fewer children compared to those in nuclear families. Within the overall mean ideal family size of 2.83, the Hindu females thought fewer children made up an ideal family than their Muslim counterparts. Further, among the Hindus, the mean number of children considered ideal varied inversely with caste status. About 44% of the illiterate females considered 4 or more children as ideal, compared to about 5% of those with education to graduate or higher levels. The educational level of the males also influenced the family size preferences of their wives which varied inversely with them. The family size ideals of the females varied significantly with their husbands' occupational status. The females who lived in relatively poor housing conditions considered higher numbers of children as ideal. The preference is for smaller families with younger mothers. The female's age at marriage is important. The females currently using birth control methods considered an average 2.72 children as ideal, in contrast to 2.98 for those who were not using any method; the difference in means is significant.
Publication Year: 1984
Publication Date: 1984-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 6
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