Social Issues Handout-5 (Class-5) 2025-2026 by Mr.

Sahil Goyal

Population and its dynamics

What is demography?
• Study of trends and process associated with population
• Studied through concepts like birth rate, death rate, migration
• Study of population structure

Theory of population growth in India

• 1901-1921- growth rate=5.4% (high birth and high death rate )

• 1921-1951- Growth rate=47% (high birth rate but fall in death rate)

• 1951-1981- growth rate is very high (further fall in death rate and very high birth
rate), phase of population explosion

• 1981-2001- growth rate is high but has started falling (not accelerating like third
phase)
o Annual GR- in 2001—2.15%
o Annual GR in 2011 -- 1.76%

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 BIRTH RATE:

DEATH RATE:

TFR:

STAGES OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION:

This means how the population of a country evolves over a period of time.

• Phase 1- high BR and high DR, population remains stationary

o This usually happens in under- developed countries

• Phase 2- Phase of early expansion, high BR but low DR

• Phase 3- Late expansion, very low DR and high BR, but BR has started falling
o So the rate of expansion has started falling

• Phase 4- Very low DR and very low BR, no expansion but population base is high

• Phase 5- advanced economies- low DR, very low BR, phase of negative population
growth-

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Reasons for high population growth in India

1. Poverty- poverty directly affects birth rate

a. High poverty –high BR
b. Poor states like Bihar, UP, Rajasthan, MP have high high TFR- 3.1
c. While rich states Kerala, TN have lower TFR- 1.8
d. Poor families require more members for increasing household income. Each
member is considered as an asset to increase household income.
e. As per NFHS-5, upper class= TFR-1.6
f. Lower class= TFR- 2.6

2. Lack of awareness
a. about the benefits of family planning
b. how to do family planning- use of contraceptives
c. types of contraceptives
d. sometimes religious beliefs also prohibit use of contraceptives
e. developing countries are very slow in accepting technologies, ex- use of
contraceptives started very late in India
f. NFHS-5= only 67% of eligible population in India uses contraceptives

3. Poor women empowerment

a. Poor participation of women in workforce- lead to high fertility rates
i. As per NFHS- women who are employed have low fertility rates as
compared to women who are unemployed
b. Literacy rates among women are low
i. NFHS-5, women who are has 12 years of schooling- TFR- 1.8
ii. Women without 12yrs of schooling- TFR- 2.8
c. Marriageable age of women
i. Early marriage – high BR
ii. NFHS-5, in India 23% of women get married before the age of 18
years
d. Patriarchy:
i. Private patriarchy- within household-men control reproductive organs
of females. She doesn’t have any control over her reproduction.
ii. Public patriarchy- patriarchy outside household-women meant only
for reproductive roles and household work, not to work outside

4. Preference for male child-

a. This phenomenon of reproducing till male child is born is called meta son
preference.

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 b. Daughters born before male child are not given access to health, education,
hygiene, which lead to poor empowerment of women creating viscous cycle.
5. High IMR affects BR—High IMR→ high BR
a. (IMR= no of children per 1000 live birth who could not celebrate their first
birthday)
b. IMR- India = 30
c. Kerala -IMR- 6, Delhi- IMR- 11, Tamil Nadu- 16
d. Institutional deliveries are best way to control IMR, immunization coverage is
around – 77% in India

IMPACT OF HIGH POPULATION IN INDIA

1. Shortage of food, resources like water, land (both for housing and
agriculture), energy

2. Poverty of the people will increase

a. Economy has limited resources which can cater to limited population.
Increase in population leads to scarcity of resources
b. Economy has a capacity to create limited jobs- increase in
mechanization will lead to joblessness of a large section of society-
(that is poverty).
c. Does population lead to poverty or poverty leads to population?

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 3. Increase in migration
a. Migration patterns: always from high TFR areas to low TFR areas

4. Conflict over resources will increase

a. Increase population leads to scarcity of resources leading to conflict
(inter-state water dispute, regionalism mainly because of migration)
b. This also leads to increase in social movements like demanding
benefit of reservation
5. Inequalities over the period of time will increase

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 POPULATION AGE STRUCTURE

• Refers to proportion of population in different age groups

• Working age group- countries having high population of working age group are
having favorable demography which will lead to fast economic growth of the
country. country is going through phase of demographic dividend

• This phenomenon was first seen in high EAST ASIAN economies during 1990s, where
one of the important factor for high economic growth of these countries was
favourable demography

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 HOW TO CONTROL POPULATION

1. There are 2 methods:

PREVENTIVE PUNITIVE
(indirect methods of population Control, (direct control by forcible methods like
no forcible measures) forced sterilization, one child policy etc)

ACCESSIBLE and AWARENESS • In 1976- GOI launched 1st

• By increasing the minimum age of population policy- use of coercive
marriage to 21 measures to control population
• Generating awareness about family • However this population policy was
planning and use of contraceptives dropped in successive years as there
• In 2017, GOI launched 360 degree was lot of resentment from people
media campaign which include TV • In 2000, GOI launched new NPP-
commercials, radio, posters, which drops use of coercive
internet measures completely and only focus
• Giving fiscal incentives to people on preventive measures
going for tubectomy and
vasectomy(compensate loss of
wages)
• ASHA -community health care
worker(connected with people at
ground level)- can play a very
important role in generating
awareness and in home delivery of
contraceptives pills, institutional
deliveries and spacing between
births, pregnancy testing kits

2. In 2016, GOI launched Mission Parivar Vikas targeted 146 high TFR districts from 7
states where TFR> 3.1
a. Awareness through 360degree campaign
b. Awareness about use of contraceptives
3. National population policy 2000
a. Focus on preventives measures to control population
b. Reproductive health care:
i. Access to primary health care centres
ii. Reduce IMR- to 30/1000, achieve universal immunization
iii. Reduce MMR- 100/ lakh- 80% institutional deliveries
iv. By 2010
c. Timelines based objectives:

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 i. Immediate targets: address unmet need of contraceptives, better
healthcare infrastructure, awareness
ii. Mid-term based objectives- TFR- to replacement rates of 2.1by 2020
iii. Long tern target- population stabilization by 2070
d. Targeting youth:
i. Making school education free and compulsory upto 14 years
ii. Promoting delaying of marriage of girls
iii. Universal access to counselling and information related to FP

Q. Do u think India should go for one child policy?

CHILD SEX RATIO or SEX RATIO AT BIRTH

• As per NFHS-5, 1020 women per 1000 men- Adult sex ratio
o This is highest ever in history of the country
• But CSR (0-6 yrs) is highly skewed towards boys- 952:1000, states like Punjab,
Haryana, Delhi are the major states with poor CSR

Reasons for poor CSR

1. Girl child is considered a burden
2. Male child is considered as social security of old age
3. High infant mortality rates of girls- in states like rajasthan, bihar, UP, MP
4. High female feticide rates – in states like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi- access to sex
determination technology
5. Failure of implementation of PCPNDT act- which prohibits sex determination, making
it a criminal offence, but violated in prosperous states like Haryana, Punjab, western
UP- bribe and corruption
6. Feudal societies are yet to modernize and understand importance of male child
7. Patrilineal system in North India feudal societies

Implication of poor CSR

• Increase in crime towards women- men will not be sensitized towards women
• Phenomenon of bride price will increase
o Girl will be treated as a commodity
• Polyandry
• Average of marriage for men will increase and for girls will decrease
• Age gap b/w male and females will also increase

Solutions
• Campaigning- increasing awareness about importance of girl child
• Beti bachao- Beti padhao
• Fiscal incentives to girl’s family for higher education- Sukanya samridhi yojna
• Model campaigning by girl child achievers
• Strict implementation of PCPNDT Act

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