Single Child Families in Tripura: Evidence from National Family Health Surveys

Abstract

One of the inevitable outcomes of low fertility is the reduction in family size. Attitudinal change towards the value of children is taking place due to the modernisation and having more children has become irrational for many. A viable alternative lifestyle in the present-day world is a family with a single child. Over this backdrop, this paper attempts to address the levels, trends and differentials in single child families in the state of Tripura where the proportion of single child families is remarkably high as compared to all other states. The data for this paper has been drawn from different rounds of the National Family Health Surveys. Single child families have been analysed among the currently married women in the 15-49 age group. Overall, the study has shown that there is a deliberate and conscious effort among couples in the state of Tripura to restrict their families to a single child