Population, gender and politics : demographic change in rural north India /

Comprehensive and scholarly, this analysis of demographic change in two rural North Indian villages focuses on the differential fertility rates of Hindu and Muslim castes. The demographic issues are examined in the context of the agrarian system, class structure, caste/religion, education, gender relations, and politics. Questions addressed in this research include whether fertility differences can be explained by an economic rationality derived from class position; whether women have many children because they lack the autonomy to determine their own fertility; and whether women's empowerment through schooling has an impact on fertility. The authors present an alternative explanation based on the demographic effects of people's religious identities as members of politicized social categories. This study demonstrates how class position, education, women's roles in everyday life, and sociocultural diversity are closely related to the fertility and mortality rates of the two caste groups. The authors stress the importance of this study for a better understanding of the problem of population and its linkage to gender roles and politics in developing countries. A significant contribution to social demography. Graduate, faculty. D. A. Chekki University of Winnipeg