Educated moms have fewer kids, reveals Census

Rising education of girls has resulted in an accelerating dip in the average number of children born to them after they get married, Census 2011 data released on Friday shows. India had nearly 340 million married women and the average number of children was 3.3, down from 3.8 in 2001 and 4.3 in 1991. But hidden in this average figure is a wide range between an illiterate mother and a well-educated one. Current mothers, who were deprived of education in their early life and have remained illiterate, had 3.8 children on average. At the other extreme, mothers with a graduate degree or above had just 1.9 children. That's half the number of children compared to illiterate mothers.

Average number of children are calculated by taking the number of children ever born to women in the age group 45-49 years, which is the end of their reproductive age and thus represents the total children they can have.

While the spread of education is widening with each passing year, school drop out rates are still unconscionably high among girls. An idea of this is gained from enrollment data for 2014-15 put out under the District Information System for Education (DISE), which shows that there were about 13 million girls enrolled in Class 1 but the number went down by 58% to 5.4 million in Class 12. With this kind of massive dropout, it will take many years for the overall fertility rates to decline substantially more.

Census data shows that between the two extremes of illiterate and graduate+ mothers, there is a continuum - as the educational level increases, the average number of children goes down. Mothers who have not studied beyond class 8 (middle school) have three children on an average, those who dropped out between middle and high school had 2.8 children and those who had studied between class 10 and graduation restricted their children to 2.3.

Census 2011 also shows that this dipping fertility is speeding up. The rates of decline between 1991 and 2001 were 14% for mothers who studied up to middle school but between 2001 and 2011 this decline was more at 18%. It was a similar situation for other educational levels.




Is it just education of mothers that is causing this decline? Experts say that it is a key factor but accompanied by a set of other circumstances that go with mothers' education. More educated women will likely be from better income households and they will likely be married to more educated men. So everything put together is helping.

The Census data also shows that there are still nearly 96 million illiterate married women who are in the child bearing age, that is, 15-49 years. And there also are about 16 million married women in the same age group that have not studied beyond primary level. Presumably, they are yet untouched by the wider trend of having less children.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-kids-reveals-Census/articleshow/52083667.cms

Cannon, an economist and a critic of Malthus, the author of Malthusian theory of population, said that
a born child "comes not only with a mouth and a stomach but also with a pair of hands.'

For most of the educated ladies bringing up child / child rearing and fraught with a lot of intricacies in their life.

Does it include Muslim women?

I think education is the criterion, not religion. Could apply to all religions.

I think the number of progeny is inversely correlated with the chance of survival. This is true across the animal kingdom as well.

Education level of the spermatozoa makes no difference!

So guys dont bother studying..its the education level of the Ova that makes all the decisions in life.

For educated and career minded women no of children is just 1 especially among TB's...There should be some one who is willing to invest time and take care of the kids...How about Ki & Ka type...Husband staying at home for a year or two & taking care of the kids!

Govt. India sanctions 2 years CCL (Child Care Leave) to their lady employees in their entire service. This can be availed with a minimum of 15 days till the child attains the age of 18 years of age and the leave is restricted to two children.

yesmohan said:

Govt. India sanctions 2 years CCL (Child Care Leave) to their lady employees in their entire service. This can be availed with a minimum of 15 days till the child attains the age of 18 years of age and the leave is restricted to two children.

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Sir, How many TB's in their productive age (less than 35) are now in Government service...It would hover around 5%

hi

education gives more freedom for women's choice......working women want more enjoyment and economical independent...

so job /profession is priority number one....family is secondary...

Its not that family is secondary...its just that one learns to make more effective choices.

Frankly speaking the number of children one has does not make that much of difference.

Its easy for men to talk cos they do not go tru child birth and the endless sleepless nights looking after babies.

The human baby is a real attention deficit creature.

God designed the human badly....the human child needs too much attention to survive ...knowing this any right thinking female would have less children.

Just give me one good reason why people actually want a lot of kids...who wants to go tru looking after kids over and over again..from their endless demands as a baby..to the teenage tantrums?

Its easier looking after farm animals than looking after humans!LOL

renuka said:

Its not that family is secondary...its just that one learns to make more effective choices.

Frankly speaking the number of children one has does not make that much of difference.

Its easy for men to talk cos they do not go tru child birth and the endless sleepless nights looking after babies.

The human baby is a real attention deficit creature.

God designed the human badly....the human child needs too much attention to survive ...knowing this any right thinking female would have less children.

Just give me one good reason why people actually want a lot of kids...who wants to go tru looking after kids over and over again..from their endless demands as a baby..to the teenage tantrums?

Its easier looking after farm animals than looking after humans!LOL

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hi renu

really....lah....so ONE CHILD POLICY IS BEST POLICY.....OWN EXPERIENCE?.....

hi
one child policy is the best policy. while talking to my aunt she said that in our ancestral home the thuli was always in use!!.she had 9 siblings.my grand father had 13 and if i trace back probably the earlier generation it was 40!!.it appears our guys had no OTHER job. in most families the lady kicks the bucket first for obvious reasons.we also heard about several marriages in the same household. my maternal grandfather was married thrice. chitti kodumai was prevalent in earlier days because "maharasi pulliya peetutu poyta".
As male domination is reducing in TB household and women are saying NO when it should be said,things are improving. so advocates of multiple child household please don't drag women back to stone age.

navy-eswaran said:

hi
one child policy is the best policy. while talking to my aunt she said that in our ancestral home the thuli was always in use!!.she had 9 siblings.my grand father had 13 and if i trace back probably the earlier generation it was 40!!.it appears our guys had no OTHER job. in most families the lady kicks the bucket first for obvious reasons.we also heard about several marriages in the same household. my maternal grandfather was married thrice. chitti kodumai was prevalent in earlier days because "maharasi pulliya peetutu poyta".
As male domination is reducing in TB household and women are saying NO when it should be said,things are improving. so advocates of multiple child household please don't drag women back to stone age.

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Yes. True.

It appears that procreation was the only recreation in those days.

Raji Ram said:

Educated women have only one or two children because they want to educate them too. So more the number more the expenses.
Uneducated ones think that they would have more number of hands to help the family and opt for more children. :grouphug:

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True...I remember when I was pregnant....one cleaner told me that its better to have a girl as a first born cos she can do house work..wash,clean etc

I was thinking...surely whatever child one has..be it boy or girl...I was not planning to make a child my maid!

Raji Ram said:

Dear Renu,

We will pamper the only child . But, when he grows up and settles in the U S of A,

his better half will make him 50% of her house maid!

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Raji Madam,

For men have to be seen as CARING & SHARING and not OVERBEARING! How many educated women like the house wife tag?

Raji Ram said:

Dear Renu,

We will pamper the only child . But, when he grows up and settles in the U S of A,

his better half will make him 50% of her house maid!

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Rajiji,
I hope you are back in India after your visit to USA.:Cry:

vgane said:

Raji Madam,

For men have to be seen as CARING & SHARING and not OVERBEARING! How many educated women like the house wife tag

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Dear Ganesh,
You will be surprised to know that there is one guy in my extended family who is not assisting his wife in household chores! :couch2:

And they too live in the U S of A. Lucky hubby! :thumb:

Bulging population is a national problem and it is a sacrifice by people to have lean family. With parents of less than a score of children have been healthy and compassinate. Today a mother has hardly one issue and about 45 years age, she has uterus relapse. There are worst cases reported. In a barber shop a new recruit will be given hair-cutting job, not shaving. In the medical field a trainee doctor will be allowed to do "appendix" operation. Nowadays, a beginner surgeon starts with uterus removal. Low birth has helped the nation but low productivity has not helped the women. Consequential effect. We do not solve problems but create more.

Raji Ram said:

Dear Renu,

We will pamper the only child . But, when he grows up and settles in the U S of A,

his better half will make him 50% of her house maid!

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Dear RR ji,

When a child marries...he/she leads his own life.

Duty of parents end then and there and parents can play the role of a consultant if and when their help and advice is sought...otherwise parents should never form an opinion once a child is married unless in life threatening situations.

We parents tend to be biased when we form judgments involving our children but we fail to see the whole picture that a home runs when both husband and wife work in concert.

Everyone wants a Son In Law who helps our daughter with house work but never would want our son to help the Daughter In Law!LOL

A husband and wife should help each other if both are working.

Helping each other in a 50%-50% scenario is ideal so that work is done effectively and efficiently.There is no other way out.


In India its easy to get domestic but out here in Msia and I am quite sure even in the USA its not easy to get domestic help..so no choice but to do our own housework.

So I don't think a son is made into a 50% maid by his wife...he is just being a dutiful husband and all credit goes to his mother for instilling good values in him.

Every mother should feel happy if they have a son that helps his wife.

He is no 50% maid...he is a true gentleman.

renuka said:

Dear RR ji,

When a child marries...he/she leads his own life.

Duty of parents end then and there and parents can play the role of a consultant if and when their help and advice is sought...otherwise parents should never form an opinion once a child is married unless in life threatening situations.

We parents tend to be biased when we form judgments involving our children but we fail to see the whole picture that a home runs when both husband and wife work in concert.

Everyone wants a Son In Law who helps our daughter with house work but never would want our son to help the Daughter In Law!LOL

A husband and wife should help each other if both are working.

Helping each other in a 50%-50% scenario is ideal so that work is done effectively and efficiently.There is no other way out.


In India its easy to get domestic but out here in Msia and I am quite sure even in the USA its not easy to get domestic help..so no choice but to do our own housework.

So I don't think a son is made into a 50% maid by his wife...he is just being a dutiful husband and all credit goes to his mother for instilling good values in him.

Every mother should feel happy if they have a son that helps his wife.

He is no 50% maid...he is a true gentleman.

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hi

the problem is woman's ego.......the woman wants S IN LAW should help daughter....but reverse is not acceptable,,,,becoz she

thinks his son is maid....these thinkings are very common in many tambram homes.....another reason....when todays

mother in law was yesterdays daughter in law....SAAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI....she never got any help from her

husband.....so she does not like his son would be a 50% maid...its history in many homes...

tbs said:

hi

the problem is woman's ego.......the woman wants S IN LAW should help daughter....but reverse is not acceptable,,,,becoz she

thinks his son is maid....these thinkings are very common in many tambram homes.....another reason....when todays

mother in law was yesterdays daughter in law....SAAS BHI KABHI BAHU THI....she never got any help from her

husband.....so she does not like his son would be a 50% maid...its history in many homes...

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Very much true and 95% of ladies are yet to come out of this line of thinking.