Demographic Transition and Change in Women’s Lives

Why in News?

• On 11th July, the world observed ‘World Population Day.’
• The passage of the day is also a time to look at how India’s demographic journey has changed the lives of its citizens, particularly its women.

 

Demographic Transition

• The demographic transition theory is a generalised description of the changing pattern of mortality, fertility and growth rates as societies move from one demographic regime to another.
• The term was first coined by the American demographer Frank W. Notestein in the mid-twentieth century, but it has since been elaborated and expanded upon by many others.

 

India’s Demographic Transition

• India’s population grew from about 340 million at Independence to 1.4 billion.
• In 1941, male life expectancy was about 56 years; only 50% of boys survived to age 28.
• Today, life expectancy for men is 69 years, and nearly 50% live to see the ripe old age of 75.
• This rapid decline in mortality took parents by surprise, who no longer needed to have four children to ensure that at least two would survive.
• As a result, the Total Fertility Rate fell from 5.7 in 1950 to 2.1 in 2019.

 

Change for Indian Women

• Preference for Sons and Difficulty in Ensuring Birth of Sons
  • As families began having fewer children, ensuring at least one son became more difficult.
  • Social norms and patrilocal kinship patterns combined with lack of financial security reinforce a preference for sons.
  • The India Human Development Survey (IHDS) found that 85% of women respondents expected to rely on their sons for old age support.
  • This led to practices such as sex-selective abortion and neglect of sick daughters.
  • Consequently, the number of girls per 100 boys, ages under five dropped from 96 to 91 between 1950 and 2019.
• Decline in Time Spent on Active mothering
  • As fertility rates declined, women had more time for education and employment.
  • NFHS finds that the number of years women spend caring for children under five declined from 14 years in 1992-93 to eight in 2018-20.
  • As a result, the years spent caring for children ages six to 15 dropped from 20 to 14 years.
• Early Marriage and Childbearing
  • While women’s educational attainment increased, with over 70% of girls enrolling in secondary education, early marriage and childbearing remain the predominant forces defining women’s lives.
  • Early motherhood, perhaps, explains why lower fertility does not translate into higher labour force participation for women.

 

Impact of Demographic Transition on Ageing Women

• With rising life expectancy, the proportion of the female population aged 65 and above increased from 5% to 11% between 1950 and 2022, and is projected to reach 21% by 2050.
• While the proportion of older men will also increase, ageing for women has unique implications.
• Women generally marry men who are older and are more likely to outlive their husbands.
• The 2011 Census shows that while only 18% of men above age 65 are widowed, about 55% of the women are widowed.
• For widowed women, the lack of access to savings and property results in dependence on children, mainly sons, bringing the vicious cycle of son preference to full circle.

 

Demographic Dividend and Gender Dividend

• Demographic Dividend
  • Demographic dividend refers to the growth in an economy that is the result of a change in the age structure of a country’s population. 
  • Demographic dividends are occurrences in a country that enjoys accelerated economic growth that stems from the decline in fertility and mortality rates.
  • A country that experiences low birth rates in conjunction with low death rates receives an economic dividend or benefit from the increase in productivity of the working population.
• Gender Dividend: The realisation of economic potential through increased investments in women and girls, emphasises that societies could be more productive and equitable if gender gaps, particularly in the labour market, were closed.

 

Suggestions on Harnessing Gender Dividend in India

• By Enhancing Women’s Access to Employment and Assets: It will reduce their reliance on sons and could break the vicious cycle of gendered disadvantage, stretching from childhood to old age. 
• Economic Empowerment of Women
  • There is a need to create an environment for women’s economic participation by addressing gender gaps across the economic spectrum.
  • Implementation of policies and programs that support women’s access to financial resources, credit, and business opportunities is the key factor.
• Effort to increase Female Labour Force
  • As early marriage and childbearing remain central to Indian women’s lives, any efforts at improving women’s labour force participation must be accompanied by access to safe and affordable childcare.
  • For example, a World Bank evaluation in Madhya Pradesh found that the expansion of Anganwadis to include a crèche (a place where young children are cared for during the day) led to an increase in the work participation of mothers.

 

What are the practical strategies for enhancing childcare access?

• National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)
  • One option might be to make staffing crèche an acceptable form of work under the NREGS.
  • At present, NREGS is being used to build physical infrastructure but there is no reason it cannot be used to develop social infrastructure where NREGS workers can help staff crèches.
  • Self-Help Group: The self-help group movement can be harnessed to set up neighbourhood child-care centres in urban and rural areas.

 

Conclusion

• India’s demographic dividend presents a great opportunity but obtaining the much hoped for demographic dividend cannot be done without fully harnessing the gender dividend.
• Improving access to childcare, empowering women are important to achieve this.

 

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Q1) What is the Total Fertility Rate?

The total fertility rate is the average number of children that a woman will have during her lifetime. It is measured in terms of children per woman.  It’s calculated by adding up all of the age-specific fertility rates over five-year intervals. Below-replacement fertility is defined as a combination of fertility and mortality rates that results in a negative population growth rate and, as a result, a shrinking population.

 

Q2) Is the change in demographic order a Boon or Bane for India?

Whether this change in demographic order will prove to be a burden or resource largely depends on the The Nature of Population Growth, Population size and the composition of the population.  Population is a resource as long as the country’s carrying capacity is intact. India is already at replacement level fertility with the total fertility rate (TFR) at 2.0 in 2023.This means two children are replacing their parents. With 68% of the working age population in 2023, the country continues to have a demographic window of opportunity for the next 35 years to reap an economic dividend.

 

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Source: The Hindu