Causes for the rapid fertility decline in Tamil Nadu: a policy planner's perspective
Ramasundaram, S.
Demography India 24(1): 13-21
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0970-454X Document Number: 298726
The impact on fertility decline of various factors associated with economic development in Tamil Nadu, India are assessed. There has been a rapid fertility decline in Tamil Nadu. In the 1991 census the population was 56 million. Between 1951 and 1994 the crude birth rate declined from 34.9 to 19. There have been several studies offering many explanations for this decline. It is widely accepted that family planning programmes alone cannot reduce the birth rate. Economic and social factors such as industrialization, increase in income levels, urbanization, female literacy and women's status all play major roles in decreasing the desire for large families. Other factors such as nutritional status, access to health care services, and their impact on infant mortality rates and life expectancy also affect the birth rate.