I want to continue the discussion on population. Again, another myth that has been dividing society for quite some time. It’s about the fertility of Muslims in India. First, check this data.
Now, you get the picture. The Muslim population has been at the receiving end of stereotyping on family sizes. As the largest minority religion, they have been looked at with a lot of suspicion by the majority in India. It was the suspicion of being overtaken one day by the minorities and, as expected, became a key discussion point in many elections.
It was a fact in the past, and it still is, that Mulsim women have an average fertility rate more than most of the other religions. It is also a fact that they made the most solid improvement in the last 20 years.
The Reality of Fertility Rates
Religious leaders advocate for more children in their community as a show of strength, and getting lost in that noise is easy. But what happens inside the family is quite different. Family size selection is often determined by economic status, coming from the need to have more ‘boys’ to support households. It has been proven beyond any doubt that female education and economic empowerment are the factors that determine family size. Check this data if you are still in doubt.
The current fertility levels of India are a powerful testimony of how communities are climbing the ladder of social and economic development. We should acknowledge this, and policymakers should strive to establish even more parity among various communities in society.
At the end of their report, Pew Research also shows a population projection for 2050.
Relax, ‘they’ have still not overtaken ‘us’!
Religious Composition of India, Pew Research
The Future of World Religions, Pew Research
National Family Health Survey, India
Census of India 2011
