Does Women Empowerment Influences Fertility in India?

Hanumant Waghmare, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

There are several studies on women’s empowerment, status of women and fertility. But, very few studies relate the empowerment of women with their fertility. The NFHS-3, 2005-06, provides data on several dimensions of women empowerment, ever-married women of age 15 to 49 for India. These data utilized to make women’s autonomy index and awareness index. The NFHS-3, 2005-06, provides data on the children ever born with the age groups. Women autonomy variables are used to see the impact of these variables on mean number of children ever born. The analysis reveals that the women autonomy is not having any impact on children ever born, after controlling the other socio- economic factors in all the three states. But in age group of 35 to 49 years study found that slightly association between the women empowerment and fertility but the women autonomy varies with age groups and background characteristics.