New Page 12
3 lakh girls under 15 have given birth
Census Data Reveals Disturbing Trend Of Underage Married Mothers
By Samiran Chakrawertti TIMES INSIGHT GROUP
New Delhi: Child labour may now acquire a wholenew meaning for you. Close to
300,000 girls under the age of 15 are not only married but have already borne
children at least once, according to census figures just released. Of these, a
little over 1.7 lakh have borne two kids, and another 1.25 lakh have had one
child. While many of these girls—just under 1.5 lakh—are from rural areas,
as many as 74,082 are from urban areas, with 43,151 two-child urban mothers
below the age of 15.
Amazingly, almost 2.7 lakh women under the age of 24 have already had seven or
more children, 86,500 have had six children, more than 2,25,000 have had five
children and over eight lakh have had four kids.
Even as the average number of children born to married women in India has fallen
a wee bit to 3.03 from 3.07 a decade back and 3.38 in 1981, this fine print on
underage mothers makes for startling reading. The average number of children
born to each married girl below the age of 15 has increased dramatically to 0.31
from only 0.09 a decade back and 0.02 in 1981.
There is, however, a caveat to the comparison. The figures for the 1991 and 1981
census were based on samples rather than total figures, but the 2001 figures are
the actual population totals that leave no doubt, showing an average of close to
one child for every three married girls under the age of 15.
SHOCKING
15 lakh girls under 15 married 20% of these – 3 lakh – have at least 1 child
74,082 under-15s in urban areas have 1 child, 43,151 have 2 children
Under 24
2.7 lakh have 7 or more children each 86,500 have 6 children 2,25,000 have 5
children 8 lakh have 4 children
Average number of children for all ages is 5
Fertility rate down 10%, shows census
By Samiran Chakrawertti TIMES INSIGHT GROUP
New Delhi: Even though the earlier census figures suggest that there has been a
spurt in underage mothers, the data for higher age groups in the latest census
seems to suggest otherwise. In the 15-19 age bracket, there are 1.77 lakh
married girls with four children, over six lakh 15-to 19-year-olds with two
children, and more than 1.34 lakh with three children each.
Unsurprisingly, five or more kids seems to be the most popular choice for the
number of progeny—as many as 22.5% of married women of all age brackets have
had five or more children, followed by 19.3% with two children and 17.4% of
married women with three children. Of the rest, 14.6% have had no children, 13%
one child, and another 13% have borne three kids.
Despite all this, there’s also some good news from the census tables on
fertility rates. A comparison over time of the average number of children born
to women in the 45-49 age group—when women are regarded as being past their
child-bearing years—is seen as a good indicator of fertility trends. That
figure has come down to 3.88 in 2001, down 10% from the 4.31 in 1991. However,
1991 showed a 15% decline from 5.02 in 1981, so the fertility rate has reduced
at a slower pace during the last decade than from 1981-1991. That is not a
surprise as fertility tends to taper off over time.
http://epaperarchive.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?
Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA1LzA1LzEzI0FyMDAxMDE=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
|
