Regulating reproduction in India"s population : efforts, results, and recommendations

This book examines India"s FP efforts to date, the results achieved at state and national levels, and the implications of various successful experiences that may help make the FP program more effective. The chapters discuss: (1) population concerns before India"s independence; (2) population policies and programs since independence; (3) historical patterns in natural fertility and nuptiality; (4) demographic and developmental trends; (5) acceptance and use of contraception; (6) modernization, contraception, and fertility decline; (7) case studies of successful fertility transition in three states (Goa, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu); and (8) critical issues and recommendations relating to FP supply and demand. The case studies indicate that, on the supply side, four major types of action have contributed to success in FP: political will for promoting small family norms and reducing fertility; strategic planning for shifting program emphasis from sterilization to spacing methods; bureaucratic efficiency, and improved quality of services. On the demand side, rising female literacy levels and rapid reductions in infant mortality levels are two factors contributing to decline in fertility. Includes 11-page bibliography.