This study investigates the relationship between the level ofsocioeconomic development and fertility in India. The perspective of thisstudy is based on the "Theory of Demographic Transition" which statesthat as socioeconomic development in a country increases, high fertilityand mortality rates are replaced by low fertility and mortality rates,leading to population stability. This study tests the following majorhypothesis: The higher the level of socioeconomic development, the lowerthe fertility rates among the states of india. The study applies correlationand multiple regression analysis on the l 992-1993 indian National FamilyHealth Survey (NFHS) data using four major categories (education,modernization, health, and family planning ) of socioeconomic developmentto predict two measures (crude birth rate and the total fertility rate) offertility. The findings support the theory cf demographic transition in largemeasure revealing that the overall level of socioeconomic development isinversely related to fertility among the states of india. Finally. the studysuggests that higher levels of female literacy and acceptance ofcontraceptives lead to fertility decline. |