Social and economic activities influencing fertility regulation : a micro-demographic study of two villages in Tamil Nadu, India

This thesis attempts to examine the influence of social and economic activities on fertility regulation using data collected from two villages in rural Tamil Nadu, South India. Data collection was carried out through a year long semi-anthropological investigation relying on in-depth interviews, direct observation of activities, participant observation and a retrospective survey of activities apart from a household census to collect basic data on the structure of the population. The study found that society in the study area remains traditional in the sense that the rigid caste system still prevails. The higher castes control the land and thei^by control the labour market as well. However, there has been a redistribution of land in recent times, and with the advent of improved agricultural techniques, there has been a significant change in the economic structure of the area. There have also been several social changes of significance in the area. Foremost of these has been that the importance of primary education is now recognized and people's attitudes towards health has changed. People are now concerned about health and have developed faith in the modern system of medicine. As a result of improved health services, mortality in the area, especially infant and child mortality, has been declining. The increasing popularity of the family planning programme has led to an increase in the rate of acceptance of family planning methods. A relatively high level of agricultural productivity and other economic changes such as a diversification of activity patterns due to the advent of non-agricultural jobs have resulted in a rapid expansion of the cash economy. Availability of a wider range of goods and services has led to significant changes in consumption patterns and the people of the area no longer consider themselves as producers in a subsistence economy but as consumers in a cash economy. Changes in the consumption patterns and the expansion of the cash economy have led people to believe and accept the view that having children is a costly proposition and that having a large number of children is no longer of any economic value. Apart from this, with the aged depending more on themselves and less on their children, the concept of old age security is gradually losing importance and is^longer a prime motive for having a large family. Parental perceptions about the value of children have been further changed by the structure of the labour market and the way in which labour is hired and paid for. Intensification of agriculture and the introduction of multiple cropping has led to a high rate of labour force participation by the women and has also increased employment opportunities for the aged. Moreover, due to increasing school enrolment, children are available to a lesser extent for farm work. The nature of agricultural operations is such that, except during the dry summer months, there is a great deal of activity and both males and females aged contribute significantly to this activity. The activity patterns of the adults in the area are such that people now find that, in order to ensure that their income earning capacities are not affected and that they can continue to maintain a certain minimum standard of living, it is necessary to control fertility. Moreover, having a large number of children places a strain on the economic resources of the households and uncontrolled fertility is no longer considered socially acceptable. Because of the type of work, they now do and they way in which they have to live, parents find fertility control inevitable. Thus, the social and economic activities of people in the area have brought about an irreversible decline in fertility