Question

Answers the following questions.

State the causes of high birth rate.

Answer 1

The following are the major causes of high birth rate in India.
1. Universal and early marriage- Marriage is considered to be a universal necessity in India due to the social and religious beliefs. Also, due to the low average age of marriage, the child bearing period is more. All these factors result in a high birth rate.
2. Poverty- It has been observed that poor people are generally illiterate and consider children as an additional helping hand. They take children as a ‘God’s gift’ and also are not aware of the benefits of family planning. This is a major cause of their large family size.
3. Illiteracy- India is characterised by high illiteracy which promotes people to live according to the traditional values and superstitions. This in turn acts as a constraint and forces them to have more children, thus resulting in high birth rate.
4. Tropical Climate- The tropical climate of India causes children to attain puberty at an early age. This in turn results in a high birth rate in India.
5. Joint family system- With joint family system working in India, an additional child is not considered as a burden. This is because the responsibility of the child’s upbringing is divided among the family members, which thus, results in high birth rate.
6. Low status of women- The social and economic status in India is quite low. The do not have independence in decision making. Such decisions as child bearing are often as per the opinion of other family members. This is also a major factor that resulted in high birth rate.