Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:53:23.136Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fertility control without modernization: evidence from a rural Indian community

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Carol Vlassoff
Carol Vlassoff
Affiliation:
Department of Demography, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, University of Poona, India
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Data from a survey of 349 fertile married women are used to examine the significance of cultural context for contraceptive behaviour in a traditional Indian village. While sterilization was widely sanctioned, other methods were little known, favoured or used. Relationship with modernization indicators also varied for different contraceptive techniques.

Traditional respondents were as favourable towards sterilization as modern women, but modern women were significantly more likely to accept other methods. These results are attributed to differential government efforts which have placed almost exclusive emphasis upon sterilization. It is argued that an expanded family planning programme would overcome the inertia of tradition concerning non-terminal contraception.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , July 1979 , pp. 325 - 339
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Chandrasekaran, C. (1959) Cultural factors and propagation of family planning in the Indian setting. J. Fam. Welfare, 5, 43.Google Scholar
Chen, L.C., Shamsar, A., Melita, G. & Mosley, W.H. (1974) A prospective study of birth interval dynamics in rural Bangladesh. Popul. Stud. 28, 277.Google Scholar
Dandekar, K. & Bhate, V. (1976a) Socio-economic Change During Three Five-Year Plans. Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. Poona.Google Scholar
Dandekar, K. & Bhate, V. (1976b) Contraceptive Practice and its Impact on Birth Rates of Maharashtra. Gokhale Institute of politics and Economics, Poona.Google Scholar
Fawxett, J. T.Bornstein, M. H. (1973) Modernization, individual modernity, and fertility. In:Psychological Perspectives on Population, p. 106. Edited by Fawcett, J.T.Basic Books, New York.Google Scholar
Freedman, R. (1963) Norms for family size in underdeveloped countries. In: Population and Society, p. 215. Edited by Nam, C.Houghton Mifflin, Boston.Google Scholar
Freedman, R. & Takeshita, J. Y. (1969) Family Planning in Taiwan: an Experiment in Social Change. Princeton University Press, Princeton.Google Scholar
George, M. (1973) Tradition and fertility in a rural community. Ind.J. soc. Work, 34, 1.Google Scholar
Gupta, R. (1965) Cultural factors in the birth rate reduction. Fam. Plann. News, 6, 2.Google Scholar
Kahl, J. A. (1968) The Measurement of Modernism, a Study of Values in Brazil and Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Khalifa, A. (1973) A proposed explanation of the fertility gap differentials by socio-economic status and modernity:the case of Egypt. Popul.Stud. 27, 431.Google Scholar
Khalifa, A. (1976) The influence of wife's education on fertility in rural Egypt. J.biosoc.Sci. 8, 53.Google Scholar
Lerner, D. (1958) The Passing of Traditional Society. Free Press of Glencoe, New York.Google Scholar
Lorimer, F. (1954) Culture and Human Fertility. UNESCO, Paris.Google Scholar
Operations Research Group (1972) Family Planning Practice in India. The First All-India Survey Report. Ashok Printery, New Delhi.Google Scholar
Opler, M. E. (1964) Cultural context and population control programs in village India. In: Fact and Theory in Social Science, p. 201. Edited by Count, E.W. & Bowles, G.T.Syracuse University press, Syracuse.Google Scholar
Poston, D. L.Singlemann, J. (1975) Socioeconomic status, value orientations and fertility behavior in India. Demography, 12, 3.Google Scholar
Potter, R. G., Wyon, J. B., Parker, M.Gordon, J. E. (1965) A case study of birth interval dynamics. Popul.Stud., 19, 81.Google Scholar
Schnaiberg, A. (1970) Measuring modernism: theoretical and empirical explorations. Am.J.Sociol. 76, 399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, D. H. & Inkeles, A. (1966) The OM scale: a comparative socio-psychological measure of individual modernity. Sociomerty, 29, 353.Google Scholar
Tietze, C. (1961) The effect of breast-feeding on the rate of conception. International Population Conference, New York, Vol. II, p. 129. London.Google Scholar
United Nations (1961) The Mysore Population Study, A Co-operative Project of the United Nations and the Government of India. UN, New York.Google Scholar
Vlassoff, M. (1978) Economic Motives and Fertility in an Indian Village. PhD thesis, University of Poona, India.Google Scholar
Williamson, J. (1970) Subjective efficacy and ideal family size as predictors of favourability toward birth control. Demography, 7, 329.Google Scholar