Determinants of Population Change

Introduction

Fertility, mortality, and migration are three essential factors influencing a country’s natural population change. In the Indian scenario, migration is not a significant determinant of population change. As a result, in the context of India, a close look at fertility and mortality rates becomes essential. Let’s take a look at all determinants of population change. 

Fertility

The primary determinants of fertility are as follows.

Demographic Determinants

Age composition: When a country’s population is young, it is more likely to contribute to global population growth. The category comprises many Asian, African, and Latin American countries.

Duration of marriage: There is a link between fertility and the period of a practical marriage. For example, in India, early marriage is a typical occurrence, and as a result, the fertility rate is high.

Balanced sex composition: The demographic factor of fertility is a balanced sex composition. As opposed to rural areas, male-dominated urban areas, for instance, have a lower birth rate.

Level of urbanisation: Various socio-economic elements have been identified to produce an atmosphere for lower fertility rates in urban areas.

Women’s involvement in economically profitable activities: Compared to non-working females, the contribution of working women to human fertility has already been found to be minimal. Working women have become more economically and socially awakened due to their exposure to the outside world, influencing fertility behaviour.

Determinants of Socio-Cultural Change

Religious background: Almost every religion in the world, except for Buddhism, opposes the deliberate control of human fertility. However, the level of regulation differs. For example, according to Kingsley Davis’ research, Muslim birth rates in India are much higher than Hindu birth rates in similar surroundings.

Level of education: The level of education, especially among girls, has significantly impacted fertility rates. Education helps to reduce the birth rate in general.

Age at the time of marriage: It has long been known that the birth rate and the age at which a person marries have an inverse relationship. In the Indian context, it is anticipated that if all women in the country marry after 19, it will reduce the birth rate by about one-third.

Customs and traditions: Society’s that allow polygamy, polyandry, loose marriage bonds, and permissive sexual behaviour have proven to lower fertility rates due to a higher prevalence of venereal diseases.

Individual priority: The status of the father, wife and even the child has a significant impact on the size of a family. In India, women’s poor status substantially contributes to increased fertility.

Policies of the government: The fertility rates in different countries are directly influenced by the population strategies undertaken by those countries. For example, China’s strict population policy has helped lower the country’s birth rate.

Economic Determinants

Family’s gross income: It has been discovered that a negative relationship exists between a family’s financial level and its size. People in the middle-income group appear to have the tightest control. On the other hand, when children are seen as a possible source of revenue among lower-income families, family size is restricted to a minimum.

Standard of living: Poor people worldwide have high birth rates overall. Rich people, on the other hand, have low birth rates.

Dietary habits: Animal study shows that even a higher protein consumption reduces fertility.

Other Causes

Family System Type: People who live in a joint family arrangement are more likely to have children. The family elders assist and support new spouses in raising their children in the joint family system.

Factors that contribute to Indian women’s higher fertility rates

The universality of marriage: Marriage is seen as a requirement for women in India.

Environmental considerations: Compared to other nations with a cold temperature, countries with a hot climate have a higher fertility rate. As a result, India has a high fertility rate.

Mortality

The primary causes of mortality are as follows:

Demographic Structure

Age Structure: The incidence of death is influenced by age structure, a significant demographic determinant. Mortality rates tend to decrease as a youngster grows older, but they tend to rise as a person approaches middle age. As a result, countries with a significant population of middle-aged and older people have high death rates.

Composition of sex: Females and males mortality rates have been discovered to vary due to the difference in resistance power between the sexes. Female death rates rise for several reasons, including hunger, a high maternal mortality rate, women’s poor status, and the neglect of female children.

Phase of urbanisation: It has been found that perhaps the death rate in urban regions was higher than in rural ones. However, this disparity is currently narrowing, and in some situations, the positions are being reversed. The urban mortality rate is lower than the rural mortality rate in LDCs. In developed nations, however, the reverse is increasingly true. In principle, variables such as high per capita income, high literacy, and increased disease awareness have contributed to reduced death rates in metropolitan regions.

Social Factors

• Infanticide prevalence: The prevalence of infanticide raises a society’s death rate.
• Medical facility accessibility: The number of people per physician correlates positively with mortality rates.
• Nutritional, housing, and sanitation conditions in general
• The population’s literacy level: The mortality rate is inversely connected to literacy standards.
• Religious ideas.

Economic Development

Standard of living: Rich folks eat a well-balanced diet and have the financial means to access medical care. It will reduce inequalities in mortality rates as medical facilities are made universally available.

Migration:

When people move from one place to another in search of employment and better opportunities, it is termed as migration. This has been in existence since the early ages when people used to relocate in search of proper food and housing. It is an important part of determinants as it not only changes the size of population but also the composition in various aspects.

There are two types of migration:

• Internal : When people migrate from one place to another but within the boundaries of the country, it is known as internal migration.
• International: When people migrate between other countries, it is termed as international migration.

What are the streams in migration? 

The streams in migration are as follows:

• Rural to Rural (R-R)
• Rural to Urban (R-U)
• Urban to Urban (U-U)
• Urban to Rural (U-R)

However, it is found that migration also leads to uneven population distribution as well.

Conclusion:

The main determinants of population growth are fertility, mortality, and migration. Natural increases influence population change in birth rates and migratory patterns. Changes in fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration rates can all be used to determine changing population size. It will grow exponentially if you provide a population with limitless food, moisture, oxygen, and other environmental conditions.