WOMEN’S LIVES ARE UNDERGOING DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSFORMATION

  • Preliminaries: India Human Development Survey (IHDS), The Census Act of 1948, life expectancy, demographic shift, etc.
  • Mains GS Paper I and II: Issues emerging from government interventions and strategies for the growth of various sectors, etc.

Summary of the Article

  • India’s demographic journey, notably for its women, has impacted the lives of its residents, as observed on World Population Day (July 11).
  • Since India’s independence, its population has increased from 340 million to 4 (one point four) billion.

GSPREP ON THE ISSUE

Context

What are the Demographic Dividend and Transition?

  • A demographic shift is a change in a population’s makeup over time.
  • A number of factors, including variations in the birth and death rates, migratory trends, and social and economic conditions, may contribute to this change.
  • When a nation’s population structure changes from having a high proportion of dependents (elderly and children) to having a higher proportion of working-age individuals, it is known as a demographic dividend.
  • If the nation invests in its human capital and fosters circumstances for gainful employment, this change in population structure can lead to economic growth and development.

India’s demographic changes:

  • In 1941, the average lifespan for men was around 56 years, and only 50% of boys lived to be 28.

o The average lifespan for men today is 69 years, and almost 50% make it to the ripe old age of 75.

  • The total fertility rate decreased from 7 (5.7) in 1950 to 2.1 (2.1) in 2019.
  • The likelihood of not having a son was only about 6% likely with four children, but it increased to 25% with two.

o The preference for sons is reinforced by patrilocal kinship structures, social standards, and a lack of financial security.

  • According to the India Human Development Survey (IHDS),
  • 85% of the women who responded anticipated relying on their sons for help in old life.
  • 11% of them expected their daughters to be supportive.
  • Parents who desire to have at least one male in their households of one or two children have resorted to sex-selective abortion and, in some circumstances, have neglected their daughters who are ill.
  • Between 1950 and 2019, the ratio of girls to boys aged under five fell from 96 to 91.

Modifications for Indian women:

  • The demographic transition has changed women’s youth, adulthood, and old age, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
  • A drop in fertility made room for jobs and education.
  • According to the National Family Health Survey, women’s time spent caring for children under five has decreased from 14 years in 1992–1993 to 8 years in 2018–20.
  • From 20 to 14 years, on average, were spent caring for youngsters aged six to fifteen.
  • Women are now more educated than ever before, with more than 70% of females enrolling in secondary school.

o Early marriage and having children continue to be the key factors influencing women’s life.

  • According to an article by Park, Hathi, Broussard, and Spears, the average age at first birth has barely changed for women born in the 1940s and 1980s, staying far below 22 years.

Issues:

  • Early motherhood: Lower fertility does not translate into better rates of female labour force participation.

If women want to obtain skilled positions, they must develop trusting relationships with the labour market and accumulate work experience.

  • When the need for childcare peaks, they miss the window for jobs requiring specialised skills.

Only low-skilled jobs are available to them.

  • Women’s lives at older ages are similarly impacted by demographic changes.
  • Between 1950 and 2022, the percentage of women 65 and older climbed from 5% to 11% due to rising life expectancy.

o By 2050, it is anticipated to increase to 21%.

  • According to the 2011 Census, only 18% of males over 65 are widowed, compared to around 55% of women.

o Widowed women are dependent on their children, primarily their sons, because they lack access to funds and property.

  • It completes the vicious circle of the son preference.

Way ahead

  • It can take a while to change patriarchal customs, but increasing women’s access to assets and work will lessen their dependency on boys.

o It might eliminate the cruel cycle of gendered discrimination that lasts from early life to old age.

  • Access to quality, reasonably priced childcare must go hand in hand with any initiatives to increase women’s labour market participation.
  • A World Bank assessment based on a randomised controlled trial (Madhya Pradesh) discovered that the addition of a crèche to Anganwadis increased the number of mothers who participated in the workforce.

o A study conducted in urban China by Du and Dong provides evidence of the value of childcare.

  • It was observed that women’ employment rates decreased from 88% to 66% as governmental funding for childcare decreased.

o NREGA can be used to create social infrastructure so that NREGA staff members can assist with running daycare centres.

o Both urban and rural communities can benefit from the growing self-help group movement by establishing neighbourhood child care centres.

PRACTISE QUESTION

Discuss the key goals of population education and list the specific steps India has taken to attain each goal. (UPSC 2021) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

Source: The Hindu