Understanding Family-Building Process: A Study of Birth Spacing among Early Married Young Women in India

Pratima Barman, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai
Harihar Sahoo, International Institute For Population Sciences

Birth spacing is an important aspect of the family-building process. Young women in LMIC including India tend to lack proper knowledge about the recommended interval between two births. Often, due to early marriage, they lack in terms of education and autonomy which further impede a planned family-building process. This study thus aims to understand the birth spacing pattern and the determinants of having subsequent births among early married young women aged 18-24 years. Data from the National Family and Health Survey - 5 was used. The study used life table survival analyses to determine the median time to the next birth and proportions of women who have attained the second and third birth by 36- and 72-month. The median time for the first to second birth interval was found to be 35 months and second to third birth interval was 60 months. Results from Cox proportional Hazard Model revealed that, place of residence, educational level, media exposure, child survival are the determining factors affecting women’s decision to have subsequent births. Birth spacing appears to be a complex phenomenon affected by the intersectionality within the younger women.

Keywords: Fertility, Families, Unions and Households, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Data and Methods

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