Major Determinants of Fertility.

Determinants of fertility:- The attributes that form the fertility behaviors of the population in any region may, however, be concerned with biological, sociocultural, economic, or political matters. The major determinant of fertility or birth rate includes fecundity, age at marriage, marriage system, educational status, level of urbanization working status of females, religions faith social tradition and customs, income and standard of living, occupation, government policy, etc. 

(1) Biological Factors:-  

(a) Fecundity:- Fecundity which refers to the fertility potential of a woman is an important biological factor affecting fertility. Fertility is essentially restricted to the reproductive span of a woman which may vary little from individual o individual. The reproductive span of the woman began with puberty and ends with menopause. The nature of fecundity is almost universal and its rate in determining the fertility behavior of a population is most impressive.  

(b) Contraception:- Contraception practices affect fertility by reducing the probability of conception contraceptive methods vary considerably in their theoretical effectiveness and in their actual effectiveness in use (use-effectiveness). Modern methods such as oral pills and intrauterine devices have use effectiveness rates of more than 95% older methods such as the condom and diaphragm can be more than 90% effective.

(c) Abortion:- Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo before it can survive outside the uterus. Abortion is of two types –  Spontaneous abortion is an abortion that occurs without intervention, is also known as a miscarriage. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called Induced Abortion. Abortion helps to reduce fertility not by affecting fecundability but by terminating a pregnancy.      

Other biological factors are sterilization general health conditions etc affects the fertility rate.  

(2) Social factors:- 

While the desire to have sex may be a biological necessity the desire to have a child is more a social necessity. It is in this context that the social determinants of human fertility become very significant. 

(a) Age at marriage and duration of married life:- Fertility depends on the age at which woman married. The mean age at marriage varies considerably from country to country and society to society. In many developing countries including India mean age at marriage is been lew as compared to advanced countries of the world. The marriage of girls at early age spreads the reproductive span of women.      

              In India, the mean age at marriage for females was 13.7 years in 1921, It improved to 18.3 years in 2001. The lighterage at marriage tends to reduce fertility and this lowers birth rates.

(b) Marriage system:- Marriage is a social institution binding a man and woman which gives a legal procedure in the process of reproduction. Without marriage, fertility is not permitted in our society, especially in India. Marriage gives stability to society.  

(c) Educational status:- Literacy and education are also important factors determining fertility. There is an inverse correlation between the level of education and fertility. There is no denying the fact that education, particularly for girls, has a far-reaching impact on fertility patterns. Education not only brings down the fertility rate but also brings down the mortality rate. Education makes people socially and economically more awakened and helps in bringing a change in their mental attitudes towards family responsibilities.  Fertility seems to have a close correlation with the educational level of the mother.  

(d) Cast and Religion:- Cust, culture, religion do not have much influence or fertility directly but they exercise some effect on fertility.        

                                                                           From the above table, we see that the fertility rate among Muslim religions is high. This is followed by Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Sikhs. The Jains had the lowers TFR. The role of Muslim women in the decision-making process is low and flexibility is also low in the Muslim religion. So, TFR is high.

        STs live in a remote areas where the fertility rate is high. The fertility rate is highest among Scheduled castes and other backward classes.  

(e) Level of Urbanization: - It is often observed that the urban population has a low birth rate in comparison to its rural counterpart. As the population from rural areas migrates to urban areas their fertility rates show distinct fall. Luxury living, keen competition for progress, and the spread of education are normal features of urban life. This promotes a logical attitude among the urban population which reflects in the planned way of family life. 

(f) Role of woman in decision making: - In a society where the woman’s role is regarded merely to bear and rear children the fertility rate is high. A society where a woman is involved in national activities on an equal footing with men has a low fertility rate.  

(3) Economic Factor:- In general it has been noticed that there is a negative relationship between income and fertility rate. If the per capita income is low then, the fertility rate is high and if the per capita income is high then the fertility rate is low.  

For Example:- 

                    Besides the above factors, other important factors which affected the fertility rates are-- family structure, occupation, Govt. policy, etc.