Sex-Ratio in Relation to Fertility and Two Child Norm in Madhya Pradesh

Lopamudra Ray Saraswati, Invest India Market Solutions Private Limited (IIMS)
Protap Mukherjee, National Population Stabilization Fund (NPSF)

This paper studies spread of two-child-norm in terms of desired and completed family-size and association between desired fertility, completed family-size and sterilization, using National Family Health Survey-II data in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is interesting to note that a smaller percentage of women who are sterilized, had reported less/equal to two ideal children than those who had reported greater than two ideal children. Sterilization is much higher among women who have greater than two living children. To examine association between sex-ratio and two-child-norm, a proxy to sex-ratio, difference between living sons and daughters are calculated. In Logistic regression analysis for predicting determinants of difference between sons and daughters, effect of both total number of living children and ideal number of children found to be statistically significant. So, we conclude that difference in sex-ratio is a function of ideal and living children. Hence two-child-norm is importance in family building process.