Why Women's Childbearing Age Has Shortened In India?

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In recent years, India has witnessed a noticeable decline in the average age of women at the time of their first childbirth. According to a study, the reproductive period of Indian women has decreased over the past 30 years as they are ceasing to bear children at an earlier age than in the past [1].

This sharp decline in the average age of women giving birth can be attributed to a variety of factors.

What Did The Study Say?

• A comparison of data from the first National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 1992-93 with the latest (2019-21) showed that a little under 11% of women in the 40-49 age group had children beyond the age of 40, while 30 years back that proportion was over 23%.
• The median age at birth has declined by five years from 33 years to 28 years over the same period.
• The study by researchers at the International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS) showed that while only 35% of women surveyed in 1992-93 had completed child bearing by the age of 30, by 2019-21 this proportion had gone up to 64%.
• Interestingly, the proportion of women who ended childbearing by 40 was slightly lower in 2019-21 than in the previous two NFHS.

What Are The Factors?

One of the authors of the study, Chander Shekhar, explained that this was due to two reasons.

• First, women often have the first child at an older age than in the past, in cases where they had more than one child, the second child would also come later.
• Also, with fertility treatment becoming more common, childbirth could happen late since treatment can take time. This has led to a decrease in the total fertility rate, meaning that women are having fewer children than before. This is because as women get older, they are less likely to conceive and if they do, they are more likely to have a higher-risk pregnancy.

State-Wise Trend

• Though the mean age at last birth ranged from 26 years in Tamil Nadu to 33 years in Meghalaya during NFHS-III (2004-05), in the next two surveys Andhra Pradesh had the lowest (about 25) and Meghalaya (over 30) showed the highest mean age at last birth.
• During NFHS-4 (2015-16), the mean age at the last birth had increased in all the states. The highest mean age at last birth was recorded in Kerala (over 32) and the lowest was in Chhattisgarh (about 25).

What Does This Mean?

This indicates that the average age of women giving birth is increasing in India. This might be due to a number of factors, such as rising education levels, increased access to contraception, and a shift in attitudes towards delaying childbirth.

"In recent years, most nations have seen a decrease in the number of young women giving birth, which has been driven by increased educational attainment, family planning methods, and behavioural changes," stated the study.

On A Final Note...

The study concluded that these factors have contributed to a reduction in the fertility rate and that this trend is likely to continue. Furthermore, the study noted that this shift has had a significant impact on population growth and is likely to have far-reaching implications for societies and economies.