From Limiting to Spacing: Repositioning Family Planning in India

The ICPD represented a “quantum leap” for population and development policies as it involved a paradigm shift from the previous emphasis on Demography and Population Control to Sustainable Development and Reproductive Rights. Earlier, TFR and CPR used to be the fixation of most population programme. But a revamp in the Family Welfare Programme, from the earlier approach of provider centric-target oriented approach to client centered-target free approach now all couples to decide freely on number, spacing, and timing of childbearing. This paper examines the change in patter of use of family planning methods and the socio-economic- demographic & program factors that influences couples desire to space between children and hence shift from adopting permanent method to reversible methods by using service statistics and survey data in last three decades. There is a clear trend in shifting from acceptance in limiting methods to spacing over time. The timing of limiting and stopping or spacing behaviour is mainly determined by the couple’s desired family size, number of surviving children, sex composition of surviving children and other motivating factors such as cost, demand, opportunity, and individual costs. India is more informed on spacing and thus the re positioning of family planning helps to ‘India Shining’.