CHAPTER 2

THE DEMOGRAPHIC
STRUCTURE
OF INDIAN SOCIETY
 DEMOGRAPHY
TWO GREEK
WORDS

DEMOS GRAPHEIN
(PEOPLE) (DESCRIPTION)
 RESPONSIBLE FACTORS FOR BEGINNING OF
DEMOGRAPHY

• FORMATION OF NATION STATE • BEGINNING OF STATISTIC

• BEGINNING OF STATISTIC BRANCH BRANCH

BEGINNING OF STATISTIC BRANCH

 BEGINNING OF CENSUS FOR COLLECTING
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

FIRST MODERN CENSUS – AMERICAN SENSUS 1790

SENSUS BEGAN IN INDIA – 1867-72
REGULAR TEN YEARLY CENSUS IN INDIA SINCE- 1881
LAST SENSUS CONDUCTED IN INDIA- 2011
NEXT UPCOMING SENSUS IN INDIA- 2021
 IMPORTANCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF POPULATION .
 

• Importance of demographic study of population. 

• Demographic studies cover almost all the sphere of population like birth
rate, death rate, life expectancy, literacy rate, maternal and infant mortality
rate ,TFR etc.
• It give us data related to the growth and quality of population of a country.
• These data are very important to understand the problems and requirement
of the people and make plans and policies related to it
• These policies are very important for economic development and general
public welfare.
TYPES OF DEMOGRAPHY
 TERMS RELATED TO DEMOGRAPHY

Birth rate: number of live births in a given area during

a given time per 1000 population.

Death rate: number of deaths in given area during a

given time as per 1000 population.
 
Growth rate- Difference between birth rate and death
rate.
 
Total Fertility rate: Total number of live birth given by
per 1000 women in the child bearing age group of 15-
49 years.
 
Life expectancy: it refers to the estimated number of
year that an average person is expected to survive
 MALTHUSIAN THEORY OF
POPULATION GROWTH
• English political economist Thomas Robert Malthus outlined his
theory in his Essay on Population.
• According to him human population grow at a much faster rate
than the means of subsistence or agricultural products.
• Therefore humanity is condemned to live in poverty because the
growth of agricultural production will always be overtaken by
population growth.
• So the only way to increase prosperity is by controlling the growth of
population.
 MALTHUS’S MEASURES TO
CONTROL POPULATION
Preventive Checks Positive Checks
Such as postponing marriage or In the form of famine or diseases
practicing sexual abstinence or as they were nature’s way of
celibacy. dealing with the imbalance
between food supply and
increasing population.
 CRITICISM OF MALTHUSIAN
THEORY
• Advancement in Medical and modern Farming technology
population growth can be controlled, food production are
multiplied and standard of living continued to rise
• He was also criticised by liberals and Marxist as they
argued that poverty and starvation caused by the unequal
distribution of economic resources rather than by
population growth.
 THEORY OF DEMOGRAPHIC
TRANSITION
• Population growth linked to overall levels of economic
development
• Every society follows a pattern of development related
population growth.
• There are three basic phases of population growth.
 THREE PHASES OF POPULATION GROWTH

DEVELOPING
UNDEVELOPED DEVELOPED
2 Stage is related to
nd

The first stage is that of high birth rate and low The third stage
low population growth death rate and associated with the
because the birth rate associated with developed countries
and death rate both are population explosion. Both birth rate and
high. Due to advancement in death rate have been
It is a stage of un- medicinal field the death reduced.
development and rate become low but The population growth is
technological because of socio cultural quite low.
backwardness. reasons the birth rate
remain high.
 SIZE AND GROWTH OF INDIA’S
POPULATION
India is the second most populous country after china and 7 th largest country in the world
 VARIATION IN THE TOTAL
FERTILITY RATE (TFR) IN INDIA
• Total Fertility rate refers to total number of live births given by per 1000 women in the
child bearing age group of 15-49 years.
• There are variation in the rate of TFRs among the states around the nation.
• TFR's in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is very low. In Kerala it is below replacement level
and Tamil Nadu is on replacement level.
• Himachal Pradesh. West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra have fairly low TFR.
• But there are some states notably Bihar, MP, Rajasthan & UP, Which still have very
high TFRs of 4 or more.
• These few states will be accounted for about 50% of the additions to the Indian
population up to the year 2026.
Replacement Level- When the
difference between birth rate and
death rate is zero (or, in practice, very
small) then we say that the population
has ‘stabilised’, or has reached the
‘replacement level’ which is the rate of
growth required for new
generations to replace the older ones
that are dying out.
 AGE STRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH
• Dependency ratio refers to the proportion of dependents (elderly people and children) with
working age group (i.e. 15 – 60 years
• High working population is also referred as ‘demographic dividend’
• A rising dependency ratio is a cause for worry in countries that are facing an aging population,
since it becomes difficult for a relatively smaller proportion of working - age people to carry the
burden of providing for a relatively larger proportion of dependents.
• Falling dependency ratio can be source of economic growth and prosperity due to high working
population as compare to low non-working population.
• But either situation would not be stable as in future the falling dependency ratio will turn into
less working population while the situation related to high dependency ratio will have high
working population.
 IS HIGH WORKING POPULATION OF INDIA DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND?

• . India is one of the youngest countries in the world—majority of Indians

tend to be young.
• The average age is also less than that for most other countries, thus the
changing age structure could offer a demographic dividend for India.
• Yet in the present time we can’t refer it as dividend for the country as-
• The literacy rate is still quite low despite the efforts of the government.
• Unemployment is another factor which this workforce into dependency.
• There are a widespread disguised unemployment in the agricultural
sectors.
• The workers are not trained and skilled enough to use its full potential
 SEX RATIO
• Total Number of females per 1000 males in a given area at a
specified time period is called sex ratio.
• Historically there are slightly more female than male all
over the world 1050 females as per 1000 males
 REASONS FOR MORE FEMALE THAN
MALE ALL OVER THE WORLD
• First despite the fact that • Second the life cycle.
slightly more male babies Women have tended to live
are born than female ones more than the men so that
but the girl babies have there are more old women
more resistance to disease in than men in most of
infancy than boy babies. societies.
 CAUSES OF DECLINING SEX RATIO AND CHILD SEX RATIO

• According to the census 2011 there were 940 females as per

1000 males.
The causes of declining are-
• India is a Male oriented society, which leads to son preference
and the neglect of the girl babies.
• Maternal mortality rate –even though the rate has decreased
but still high
• Evil traditions like Dowery
 SOCIO-CULTURAL BELIEF OF
GIVING PREFERENCES TO SON’S
PATRIARCHA PATRILOCAL PATRILINEA RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
L L
POWER IS ONLY SON ONLY SON ONLY SON DOWERY
TRANSFERR WILL LOOK WILL TAKE WILL SUBORDINAT
ED TO MALE AFTER THE FAMILY PERFORM ION TO
ONLY PARENTS IN NAME THE GROOM AND
OLD AGE AHEAD RITUALS HIS KINS
RELATED TO
LAST RITE
OR KIRIYA-
KARM
 WAYS BY WHICH GIRL CHILDREN ARE
NEGLECTED
Severe neglect of Sex specific Female  Infant mortality Maternal
girl babies in abortions that infanticide – rate: number of mortality: number
infancy leading to prevent girl killing of female death of babies of women dying
higher infant babies from being babies at the time before the age of in child birth per
mortality rates; born. of birth or soon one year per 1000 1000 live birth.
afterwards live births.
 
 REGIONAL VARIATIONS OF LOW CHILD SEX RATIO IN INDIA.

• The Child Sex Ratio is defined as the number of females per 1000 males in the age
group 0–6 years. 
• In the census 2001 the child sex ratio of India was 927 which declined to 919 in the
census 2011.
• As per the census 2011, Sikkim has the highest child sex ratio among the Indian
states i.e. 972 while Haryana has the lowest child sex ratio i.e.834 per thousand males.
• Among the Union Territories of India; Andaman and Nicobar Islands has the highest
child sex ratio i.e.968 per thousand males.
• The depleting child sex ratio leading to imbalance in the number of girls
compared to boys has serious ramifications.
 PREVENTION OF CHILD SEX RATIO

• The problem of selective abortions in not due to poverty or ignorance or lack of

resources.
• It is mainly economically prosperous families who are able to afford the
technology to know about the sex of their unborn child and responsible for sex
oriented abortion.
• There is need to check people who are contributing to the declining in child sex
ratio including doctors and paramedical staff responsible for female foeticides.
• There is also need for strict implementation of Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal
Diagnostic Act (PCPNDT 1994 and Rules 1996) which has provision for
awarding punishment.
 ROLE OF LITERACY IN POPULATION GROWTH

• The term literacy referred to the ability of read and write.

• Literacy is a prerequisite (required or necessary) to education.
• Literacy is an instrument of empowerment.
• The more literate the population the greater the consciousness of
career options, as well as participation in the knowledge economy.
• Literacy can lead to health awareness and fuller participation in the
cultural and economic wellbeing of the community.
 VARIATION IN LITERACY RATE ACROSS
GENDER, REGION AND SOCIAL GROUP
 
GENDER SOCIAL GROUP REGIONAL
Female literacy rate is Historically Regional variations
lower than male disadvantaged are still very wide,
communities like the
The literacy rate for Scheduled Castes and with states like Kerala
women is 16.7% less Scheduled Tribes approaching universal
than men however it is have lower rates of literacy, while states
literacy. . like Bihar are lagging
rising faster than male
literacy. far behind.
 RURAL-URBAN DIFFERENCES
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DECLINING
• Even though the majority of people indulge in agriculture, the
economic value of what they produce has fallen.
• Now rural people increasingly engaged in non-farming activities like
transportation, business enterprises, craft manufacturing etc.
• More and more people who are living near urban areas, travel daily to
work in cities
• Mass Media & Communication channels are gradually bringing in
images of urban life styles & patterns of consumption into the rural
villages.
• The rapid growth in urbanization (town or city) has been attracting the
rural population.
 CAUSES OF DISPLACEMENT

• WAR
• CONFLICT
• DISASTERS – FAMINE AND EPIDEMICS
• HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
• FORCED RELOCATION
Famines are caused by high level of
continuing poverty and malnutrition in
an agro climatic environment that is
effected by variations in rainfall, lack of
adequate means of transportation and
communication as well as inadequate
efforts on the part of the state.
Epidemic It referred to the diseases which caused a
large number of deaths in societies It has been
controlled due to mass vaccination, better sanitation.
But malaria. TB, diarrhoea and dysentery kill people
even today.
Nowadays Covid 19 is spreading around the world
and known as pandemic.
 Causes
City- An Attractive
Destination

Facilities- Health, Socio-Cultural

Employment Freedom & Anonimity
Education Reasons
 Family Planning
Programme

Failure
Success Due to Emergency
Period

Decrease Resentm-
Adoption Increased Suspended ent of
Decreased Low Infant and Life Forced
Population Maternal Democratic People
Family
Mortality
Expectancy Rights Sterlisation toward the
Growth Trend
Rate Policy
 NATIONAL FAMILY WELFARE PROGRAM

As the people of country still resented the name ‘family

planning programme’ due to harsh method adopted by the
previous government during emergency,
The family planning programme was renamed as National
Family Welfare Program by the new government
With new set of guidelines to achieve the objectives like to
control the population growth and improve the quality of life
 THE MAIN GOALS OF FAMILY WELFARE
PROGRAMME
• Decrease population growth rate.
• Increase literacy rate and increase attendance ratio.
• Decrease maternal and infant mortality rate.
• Increase quality of life and life expectancy rate.
• Achieve universal immunisation of children
• Promote delayed marriage, for girls after 18 and for boys after 21.
• Achieve 100% registration of birth, death and marriage.
• Contain the spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Prevent and control communicable diseases.
• Promote small family norm to achieve replacement level of TFR