Role of Religion in Fertility and Family Planning Among Muslims in India

Abstract

Religion has a significant relevance in the demographic study of socio-economic groups. Religion prescribes a code of life, refers to a system of beliefs, attitudes and practices which individuals share in groups, and through this orientation towards life and death, religion is supposed to affect one's fertility behaviour (Chaudhary, 1982). According to Westoff, 'the religious affiliation of the couple connotes a system of values which can affect family via several routes: (a) directly, by imposing sanctions on the practice of birth control or legitimizing the practice of less effective methods only, or (b) indirectly, by indoctrinating its members with a moral and social philosophy of marriage and family which emphasizes the virtues of reproduction" (Westoff, 1959 : 117).