Identifying the nature of fertility planning and intention among rural uneducated women: an exploration from the primary survey in West Bengal, India

It is often argued that in a developing country scenario couples generally cannot plan their family size well in advance with a calculation of net lifetime return of schooling. Therefore question arises, whether quantity-quality trade-off is actually occurs within the fertility decision making process or not. Rural and illiterate couples are more disadvantageous situation and it is therefore imperative to know their fertility intention or what exactly they thought of having or not having a child. The results of primary survey data show that most of the couple doesn't plan their fertility. Findings suggests that only schooling aspiration for children generally do not influence the couples to stop child bearing, so even if child schooling decision is influencing the fertility decision the proportion of couple doing so is small. Thus, quantity affects the quality, but desire to improve quality is not reducing quantity, though younger couple is showing some hope.