Squeeze of women’s effective reproductive span: an emerging issue in India

Introduction: A woman’s effective reproductive span is not only important with regard to her health status but also as a deciding factor for the number of children she would bear during her lifetime. Gradually increasing age at marriage among women in India and decreasing age at sterilisation indicate that females’ effective reproductive spans are contracting.
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the effective reproductive spans of Indian women by successive marriage cohorts.
Methods: This study utilized data from the National Family Health Survey 3, India, 2005-06.
Results: From 1992-93 to 2005-06, the median age at which women married increased from 16.1 to 16.8 and the age at which they got sterilized declined from 26.6 to 25.5 years. The effective reproductive span of women of the successive marriage cohorts decreased from 11.5 years among those who married in 1970s to 9 years among those who married in 1980s, 6.4 years among those who got married in 1990s and 2.8 years among those who got married in 2000-04.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that women are opting to end their reproductive span faster than women of the older generation did sterilization there is a gradual shrink in the effective reproductive span of women.