The Covid-19 pandemic has not caused a baby boom, but quite the opposite in the city. Mumbai registered nearly 24% fewer births in 2021 compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019—the second year of the country's second most populous city recording a significant drop in birth registrations.

It is now common practice to infer the social status of women from their demographic characteristics. Yet it is not so easy to read through demographic progress, in terms of declines in mortality and fertility, to make unambiguous judgments about trends in women's social standing.

Status literally means position in relation to others. The status enjoyed by women in any society is an index of the standard of its social organisation.