Indian tribal fertility patterns from Orissa
Ray, A.K.; Roth, E.A.
Man in India 71(1): 235-239
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-1569 PMID: 12343540 Document Number: 317660
Researchers used 1954 vital statistics from 23 villages of the Juang tribe in Orissa, India to determine if the historic view of a distinctive marital fertility pattern maintains tribal fertility differentials and to test the hypothesis that the death of an infant or child brings about a quick return of fecundity through cessation of lactation. They also examined demographic data collected in the 1980s from the Koya Dora tribe in Orissa, India and such data on Bangladeshi women. The Juang population had a total marital fertility rate of about 6 and a life expectancy at birth of 35.9 years. The Juangs had a higher proportion of 15-19 year old married women than the Koya Doras (17.4% vs. 12%). Further the Juangs exhibited a higher index of proportion married than the Koya Doras (97% vs. 87%). The researchers also compared the biological interval effect for pre and postmenopausal Koya Dora women, Bangladeshi women, and Juan women. For Juan Women, the interval of live births that resulted in infant or child mortality was 31.9 months compared to 36.9 months for those that resulted in survival (p.001). The biological replacement effect stood at 0.14. The biological replacement effect for pre and postmenopausal Koya Dora women and Bangladeshi women were 0.25, 0.32, and 0.28 respectively. In conclusion, the 2 leading factors for Juang fertility included almost universal marriage and early marriage and birth spacing dependent upon child survival or mortality.