Small Family Norm
The size of the family is a matter of great importance
not only for the country as a whole but also for the
welfare and health of the individual, the family and
the community.
Our country has adopted the goal of universalising the
two-child family norm by the end of this century. The
achievement of this goal has consequences both at the
micro level i.e. level of individuals and family. and at the
macro level i.e. for the nation as a whole.
NEED TO ADOPT TWO-CHILD FAMILY NORM
Although our country has made significant progess in
various developmental sectors sonce Independence,
the fruits of these developments have not reached major
segments of the poor. One improtant reason for this is that
many of the gains have been neutralised by the rapid growth
of the population. The country does not have the resources
to bring about a radical qualitative improvement in the lives
of hundreds of millions and at the same time to provide to
millions more. A slower increase in population would enable
qualitative changes to take place.
WHAT DO WE UNDERSTAND BY NORMS?
A norm in relation to family size, according to sociologists,
implies a pattern which sets limits for any community's
fertility behaviour.
IMPLICATIONS OF FAMILY SIZE
The size of the family affects of quality of life of human
beings. The quality of life does not only pertain to
economic standards of living; rather it has a much wider
horizon.
Family size affects:
- Basic human needs
- Income and growht of the economy and savings
- Food and nutrition-quality and quantity.
- Uses of land and urban public system
- Health, especially that of mother and child.
- Education, particularly that of children.
FAMILY SIZE AFFECTS
BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
INCOME AND GROWTH OF THE ECONOMY AND
SAVINGS
FOOD AND NUTRITION QUALITY AND QUANTITY
USES OF LAND AND URBAN PUBLIC SERVICES
HEALTH, ESPECIALLY THAT OF MOTHER AND
CHILDREN
EDUCATION PARTICULARLY THAT OF CHILDREN
Let us discuss how the various spheres mentioned above
are affected by family size.
FAMILY SIZE AND BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
Besides food, clothing and shelter, primary health care
and basic education are essential needs, How are these
being affected?
BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
BIGGER THE FAMILY LOWER THE SHARE OF BASIC NEEDS
In any society, other things being equal, the larger the size
of the family, the relatively smaller will be the per capita
share of basic needs for individuals and the family.Similarly,
declining size and fewer members of the family results in
bigger per capita share required for existence and
development.
Income, savings and resources
FAMILY SIZE, FOOD AND NUTRITION
Every increase in family size results in decrease in per capita
food and nutrition availability and this slows down the quality
of nutrition and improvement of health standards. this, in turn,
has its effect on productivity of labour, which ultimately
affects the overall economic development.
family size, fragmentation of land and urban public system
Preference for a large family size eventually leads to
fragmentation of land holdings, expecially in rural
communities which has its effect on low per capita
producivity. This results in migration of the population
from rural to urban areas which,in turn, exerts pressures
on urban public systems, leading to poor social and
ecoomic development.
FAMILY SIZE AND HEALTH
Various studies have shown higher morbility among
mothers and children inlarge sized families. Early
marriage, followed by too early pregnancy, too many
children, too frequently till the advance reproductive
age of the mother, affect the health of the mother as
well as that of the child.
A study done by WHO in Southern Indian with a
sample of 6000 women, has shown that infant mortality
was 200 when the birth interval was only one year and it
was 80 when the birth interval was 3-4 years.
FAMILY SIZE AND EDUCATION
Family size is seen to be related to education, where the
mother's education is high, the family size is usually
smaller and infant mortality is also relatively lower. The
level of the mother's education and its impact on family
size is evident in the State of Kerala, where female literacy
is the highest, and it has the lowest birth rate, and the
child mortality rate is also the lowest in the country.
WHAT ARE THE HAZARDS OF A LARGE AND UNPLANNED FAMILY?
There are certain hazards of large and unplanned families
(as shown in the chart below) about which people need
to be aware. These hazards are going to affect not only
the mothers and children, but also the family as a whole,
and subsequently, the community and the nation.
HAZARDS OF UNPLANNED LARGE FAMILY
TOO EARLY MARRIAGE
- Health hazards in pregnancy and child birth
- More chances to develop
cancer of cervix (neck of
womb)
( below 18 years for girls below 21 years for boys)
too early pregnancy
TOO FREQENT
PREGNANCIES
- Discontinuation of education
leads to lack of proper job
opportunity.
- Abortion
- Still birth (dead baby)
- Premature birth
- Low Early Pregnancy
- Low birth weight baby
- Increased infant mortality
- Increased maternal mortality
- Increased risk of sickness of mother
and child
- Increased risk from pregnancy and child birth
- Ill-health of mother
- Low birth weight or sick baby
- divided attention between children
- Economic hardship
- Health hazards in pregnancy and birth
- More chances to develop cancer of cervix (neck of
womb)
TOO MANY PREGNANCIES
- Unhappiness and disharmony in the
family
- Difficulty in providing proper education
to the children.
- lack of ATTENTION TO
EARLIER CHILD
- ILL HEALTH OF
MOTHER
- INCREASED RISKS OF
- LOW BIRTH WEIGHT
BABY
TOO FREQUENT AND TOO MANY PREGNANCIES
- SICK BABY
- ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
- UNHAPPINESS AND
DISHARMONY IN THE
FAMILY
- DIFFICULTY IN
PROVIDING PROPER
EDUCATION TO THE
CHILDREN
PREGNANCY TILL LAST AGE
WHY PLAN A SMALL FAMILY:
- Increased risk of
pregnancy
- Increased risk of childbirth
- Congenital abnormalities
common e.g.mongoloid
child
- Loss of social status
A small planned family has many advantages and benefits.
The planning for a family starts from marriages at the
proper age. Keeping in view the legal and biological
aspects,a girl should not be married before the completion
of eighteen years of borth the mother and the child is when
the woman is between 20-30 years of age. The woman's
twenties are, therefore, considered the optimal
reproductive period in a woman's life.
ADVANTAGES OF A SMALL AND PLANNED FAMILY
- Reasonable gap between twochildren will give the
mothersufficient time to replenish her body
nutrients depleted due to the earlierpregnancy.
advantages for the mothers
- Loss of fear about unwanted pregnancy.
- More time and energy to give proper
attention and love to her children.
- More time to participate in other fruitful activities
like education, vocational training, community
projects etc.
- Can avail of better job opportunities
when not tied down by small children.
ADVANTAGES FOR THE
CHILD
- Less chances of foetal death, birth
defects, mortality during infancy and
childhood.
- Conducive atmosphere for proper
physical and pshychological growth of the child.
- Gets proper nutrition, education,
parental care and love.
ADVANTAGES FOR THE
COMMUNITY AND
COUNTRY
- Convervation of natural resources and savings.
- Enough schools, hospitals and other basic services.
- More employment
- Planned families would gradually bring happiness,
peace, harmony, prosperity.
ADVANTAGES FOR THE
FATHER
- Can provide sound economic base for the family.
- Can provide children with better education,
comfort, food, clothing, recreation etc.
- Can be more relaxed and enjoy good
health.
- Improved living standards, better health,
more productive labour force
WHAT EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO HELP PEOPLE ADOPT THE SMALL
FAMILY NORM ?
The efforts are being made in two ways. First, by providing
the necessary information and services to help people adopt
the small family norm. Secondly, attempts are being made to change the associated
environmental factors i.e. increase in
female literacy. raising the status of women and theage at
marriage, improvements in general social and economic conditions, which are often
described as beyond family
planning measures.
CONCLUSION :
While it may appear self-evident that two-child family is a
happy family, widespread acceptance of the two-child norms
has not yet taken place in the country due to varioys religious, cultural and socioeconomic factors. Concerted efforts,
therefore, need to be made to provide the necessary
information and education to the people, especially in rural
areas and urban slums to motivate them to accept the
two-child family norm. It is indeed impertive on the part
of each one of is to advocate and adopt the two-child
family norm and constructively contribute our share in
our own work settings and in the developmental efforts
aimed at achieving the quality of life and physical, mental
and socio-economic well-being of the people, and the
family and the community at large.
