2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) Marriage and Fertility

2005-06 National Family Health Survey

(NFHS-3)

Marriage and Fertility

Levels, trends & differentials

Determinants of fertility

Fertility preferences and ideal family size

(c) 2001 Hugh Rigby/CCP, Courtesy of Photoshare

NFHS-3, India, 2005-06

2.72.7At current fertility levels, a woman in At current fertility levels, a woman in

India will have an average of 2.7 India will have an average of 2.7 children during her lifetimechildren during her lifetime

Urban women have attained replacement fertility but rural women have on an average

0.9 children more than urban women..


Trends in Fertility by Residence

2.7

3.7 3.4

2.3

3.12.9

2.1

3.02.7

Urban Rural Total

NFHS-1 NFHS-2 NFHS-3

Fertility Differentials and Trend by Caste and Religion

3.2 3.12.7

2.9

2.42.7

2.8

3.6

2.83.1

2.83.1

SC ST OBC Other Hindu Muslim

NFHS-2 NFHS-3

Muslim fertility is decreasing faster than Hindu fertility; thus, Hindu-Muslim fertility differentials are narrowing.Fertility of ST and OBC women has remained unchanged.

Just a Few Years of Education Leads to Substantial Reduction in Fertility

TFR of women with No education – 3.6 < 5 years of education – 2.5 12+ years of education – 1.8

TFR of women from Lowest wealth quintile - 3.9 Second lowest wealth quintile – 3.2 Highest wealth quintile – 1.8


Total Fertility Rates for StatesINDIA


Replacement or below replacement

(10 states 35% population) TFR 2.1 – 2.4

(6 states 20% population)

TFR 2.5 – 3.6


TFR 3.7 – 4.0


Fertility Decline in High Fertility States

TFR in NFHS-2 > 3.0 States

TFR increased Bihar (0.3)

TFR remained same Nagaland

TFR decreased

Manipur (0.2), Uttar Pradesh (0.2)

Madhya Pradesh (0.3), Rajasthan (0.6), Meghalaya (0.8)

TFR in NFHS-2 < 3.0, but increased

Jharkhand (0.6), Arunachal Pradesh (0.5), Tripura (0.4),

Assam (0.1)

Between NFHS-2 and NFHS-3 in most of the states fertility declined.






Though, fertility in the 15-19 age group is decreasing, still, a substantial proportion of

teenagers have begun childbearing.

12% of women 15-19 are already mothers

4% of women 15-19 are pregnant with their first child

In total, 16% women 15-19 have begun childbearing


Teenage Fertility by Age

36

13

24

36

15 16 17 18 19

Percent who are pregnant or already mothers

Age


Age at Marriage


5450

45

28

53

NFHS-1 NFHS-2 NFHS-3 Total NFHS-3 Urban NFHS-3 Rural

Percentage of women age 20-24 married by age 18

Initiation of Childbearing

Median age at first birth for women age 25-49:

19.8 (Total)

20.9 (Urban)

19.3 (Rural)


Median age at first birth increased by half a year from 19.3 in NFHS-2

State-Level Variation in Early Marriage of Women and Teenage Fertility

Percentage of women age 20-24 married by age 18

States

Women age 15-19 already mothers or pregnant at time of survey (%)

States

Less than 15%

Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir

5% or lessGoa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi

55% or more

Jharkhand (61%), Bihar (60%), Rajasthan (57%) ,

Andhra Pradesh (55%)

25% or more

Jharkhand (28%), Bihar (25%), West Bengal (25%)


In most states, the proportion of women marrying by age 18 is decreasing and median age at first birth is increasing, but in a few states, the reverse is happening.

Since NFHS-2, In Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, Sikkim,

Tripura and West Bengal, the percentage of women age 20-24 married by age 18 has increased; and

In Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and West Bengal, the median age at first birth has decreased


• In addition to their impact on fertility, birth intervals may also affect the health of mothers and their children

• Birth intervals are also strongly associated with child mortality:

Children born too close to a previous birth are at increased risk of health problems and of dying at an early age


7-17 months

11%

18-23 months

16%24-35

months34%

36-47 months

19%

48-59 months

9%

60+ months

10%

61% of non-first births

occur less than 36 months after the

preceding birth

61% of non-first births

occur less than 36 months after the

preceding birth

Length of Birth Intervals







Ideal Family Size and Composition

1.1 1.0

0.80.7

0.40.6

Women Men

Either sex

Daughters

Sons

1.6 1.4 1.2

1.11.0

0.9

0.20.3

0.4


All persons Ever-married women

2.3 2.3 2.92.7

2.5


In the Majority of States, Ideal Family Size is Below 2.5:

Ideal family size of women and men

2.5 to 2.9: Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh & Manipur

Ideal family size of women and men 3.0- 3.9 Meghalaya, Mizoram & Nagaland


Two-Child Family is Becoming a Norm

Number of living children

Proportion of currently married women and men who want no more children


3

28

8390 92 92 89

4

27

8491 94 94 96

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Women Men

Son Preference among Women and Men

90 87

61

92 88

62

Women Men

2 sons 1 son and 1 daughter 2 daughters


Proportion of currently married women and men having 2 living children and wanting no more children

Son Preference: Level and Trend

7266

37

8376

47

90 87

61


2 sons 1 son and 1 daughter 2 daughters

Proportion of currently married women having 2 living children and wanting no more children

Son Preference by State

In states with replacement and below replacement-level fertility, son preference is low, but exceptions are Punjab and Maharashtra

In states with TFR between 2.1 and 3 son preference is lower, but exceptions are Haryana, Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal

Desire for No More Children by Number of Children (States with TFR >3)

8592

8480

62

33

74 77

4638

33 32

47

2731

20

ARP MP RJ JH NG MG UP BH

2 sons 2 daughters


Proportion of currently married women having 2 living children and want no more children

Wanted and Actual Fertility Rates

2.1

1.6

1.9

0.9

0.5

0.8

0 1 2 3 4

Rural

Urban

Total

Wanted TFR

Unwanted TFR

2.1

1.9

0.8

0.8

0 1 2 3 4

NFHS-2

NFHS-3 2.7

2.9

2.7

2.1

3.0

TFR TFR


If unwanted fertility is averted, TFR will reach replacement level

Key Findings The Indian woman, on average, bears 2.7 children

in her lifetime

Urban India has reached replacement-level fertility

Ten states, comprising 35% of India’s population, have already reached replacement-level fertility; 6 more states with 20% population are nearing replacement-level fertility

Early initiation of childbearing and shorter spacing of births are matters of concern


Key Findings, contd.

For most couples, a two-child family is the norm

Son preference, though reducing, still persists

Unwanted fertility forms a sizeable part of actual fertility and averting that is the best way to achieve replacement fertility


Thank You

Documents

2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) Marriage and Fertility