Impact of educational attainment, caste dynamics and occupation on fertility behaviour among women in Bihar

Sushmita Kumari; Kamlesh Kumar; Ashutosh Gaurav

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20251408

Authors

Sushmita Kumari Department of Extra Mural Studies, IIPS Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Kamlesh Kumar Department of Management Science, MGCUB, Motihari, Bihar, India
Ashutosh Gaurav Department of Statistics, CUSB, Gaya, Bihar, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20251408

Keywords:

Caste, Education, Fertility, NFHS, Occupation, Population

Abstract

According to the 2011 Census of India, Bihar is the most densely populated state and has a higher fertility rate than the national average. Recent findings from the NFHS-5 indicate a gradual decline in fertility rates. However, the state’s fertility level remains at three, exceeding the government’s target of two. This study examines the impact of women’s education, employment status, social status and other demographic factors on fertility behavior using NFHS-5 data from a specific district in Bihar. The district was selected based on demographic density and literacy statistics. The multinomial logistic regression method was employed to analyze the association between the total number of children ever born and various demographic characteristics. The analysis categorizes fertility behavior into three parameters: one child, two children and three children. The findings reveal a significant impact of female education and working status on fertility outcomes, validating the research hypotheses. This study underscores the critical role of socioeconomic and demographic factors in shaping fertility patterns in Bihar.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Kamlesh Kumar, Department of Management Science, MGCUB, Motihari, Bihar, India

Faculty, Department of Managemet Sciences

Ashutosh Gaurav, Department of Statistics, CUSB, Gaya, Bihar, India

Research Scholar, Deparment of Statistics, CUSB

References

Pradhan MR, Mondal S, Saikia D, Mudi PK. Dynamics of caste and early childbearing in India: a perspective of three decades. BMC Women's Health. 2024;24(1):231. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03077-0

Bhagat RB. Recent Trends in Population Growth and Fertility Level Among Muslims in Major States of India, 1981-91. Muslims in India since independence. 1998:67-80.

Das B, Tarai D. Decision-making and fertility behaviour: a comparative analysis of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women in Odisha. Social Change. 2011;41(2):233-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/004908571104100203

Das KC. “Age, education and caste differences among the couples and its impact on their fertility in India”. 2013.

Dayanti AA, Nurrochmah S, Alma LR. The relationship between husband support and husband’s education level with fertility of women of childbearing age in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. J Publ Heal Africa. 2022;13(2):2397. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2022.2397

Halli SS, Ashwini D, Dehury B, Isac S, Joseph A, Anand P, et al. Fertility and family planning in Uttar Pradesh, India: major progress and persistent gaps. Reprod health. 2019;16:1-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0790-x

Jain AK, Nag M. Importance of female primary education for fertility reduction in India. Economic and Political Weekly. 1986;6:1602-8.

Kumar A, Bordone V, Muttarak R. Influence of older generation's fertility behaviours on daughter's desired family size in Bihar, India. Vienna Institute of Demography Working Papers. 2014.

Voranger J. Fertility trends and differentials in Arab countries. Population. 1974;29(3):657-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3917/popu.p1974.29n3.0657

Ghosh S, Sayyad AA. The Triadic Relationship Between Fertility, Education, and Religion Among Women in Bihar. In Pioneering Approaches in Data Management. IGI Global Scientific Publishing. 2025: 333-356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-5563-3.ch016

Kumari M, Mohanty SK. Caste, religion and regional differentials in life expectancy at birth in India: cross-sectional estimates from recent National Family Health Survey. BMJ open. 2020;10(8):35392. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035392

Mahanta A. Impact of education on fertility: Evidence from a tribal society in Assam, India. International J Pop Res. 2016;2(1):3153685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3153685

Manna S, Gupta V, Sanchaya S, Garg A. Inequities in maternal child health, education, and empowerment among tribal population in India. J Fam Med and Prim Care. 2022;11(11):7150-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_594_22

Hemant Patidar. “Women’s Empowerment and Fertility Behaviour among the Tribals of Rajasthan, India”. In: Space and Culture, India. 2018;4:129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v5i3.285

Poluru R. “An Analysis of Fertility Differentials among Caste Groups in Andhra Pradesh”. In: esocialsciences.com, Working Papers. 2008.

Zaveri A, Paul P, Saha J, Barman B, Chouhan P. Maternal determinants of low birth weight among Indian children: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16. PLoS One. 2020;15(12):244562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244562

Sarkar S, Gupta P. Socio-demographic correlates of women’s infertility and treatment seeking behavior in India. J Reprod Infert. 2016;17(2):123.

Ram U, Ram F. Demographic transition in India: Insights into population growth, composition, and its major drivers. InOxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.223

Som KS, Mishra RP. Assessing the impact of religions and castes on population fertility in an EAG district of India. Space Culture, India. 2019;7(1):206-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20896/saci.v7i1.354

Kalyan SO, MISHRA RP. Education, caste and occupational differentials in fertility in India. European J Geog. 2020;11(1):37-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.k.sun.11.1.37.57