NUPTIALITY plays a significant role in determining the level of fertility and growth rate in a population. The experience of several less developed countries where population growth rates have recently lowered has well demonstrated this effect.

Violence is generally interpreted as physical, sexual and mental abuse of individuals.

The study of female age at marriage in any population is of immense importance due to its strong association with social, economic and demographic change in the population. In India marriages are not only universal but take place at early ages (Nirupama 1981, Pandey 1984, Singh 1986).

First, on the basis of primary data collected in a rural setting in the State of Orissa, an attempt has been made in this paper to compare the socioeconomic status of male- and female- headed households.

In the year 1950, injectable contraceptives were developed (containing only progestin). For the treatment of endometriosis and endometrial cancer as well as of painful menstrual periods, (dysmenorrhoea), excessive hair growth (hirsutism), and bleeding disorders, progestins were finally used.

Acceptance and sustained use of family planning especially of modern spacing methods have generally been low in developing countries particularly in India. The use rate for modern spacing methods was only 6 per cent among the eligible couples in India in 1992 (IIPS, 1995).

This paper demonstrates that an accelerated hazard framework is more appropriate than commonly used proportional hazard framework to model the timing of marriage and timing and spacing of children.

All five countries of South Asia, containing over one-fourth of the developing world's population, increased the effort levels of their national family planning programs over the 17 years from 2 to 1989.

The issues of equality of access to health care has two related questions - access whom and access to what? They seem to have a simple answer: there should be access to health care services for anyone in need of it.

The Indian family welfare program is a centrally sponsored scheme, implemented by the State governments within the framework of elaborate guidelines and norms developed by the Central Government.