The right choice, baby: Don't let family size aspirations go unmet

India's policies could avert the demographic mistakes of rich countries by supporting the traditional institution of family

- SHAMIKA RAVI & SINDHUJA PENUMARTY

India's declining total fertility rate (TFR) has caused intense public debate in recent months. The suggestions have been extreme—from abandoning family planning policies to public appeals by political leaders for women to have more children. The UNFPA, in its State of World Population 2025 report claims that the problem is neither over-population nor under-population, but instead a crisis of reproductive agency and inability to fulfil one's choice. Our essay aims to go beyond symptoms and explore the deeper malaise that has accompanied economic growth and industrialization across the world. Our core hypothesis is that the rapid decline in fertility is largely on account of a breakdown of the family structure—one of the oldest institutions known to human society.

The UNFPA report frames reproductive agency primarily in terms of whether an individual is able to fulfil their desired fertility, highlighting both under- and over-achievement of personal fertility goals as the crisis. It is based on an online cross-country survey that asks about the desired number of children, difference between ideal and actual fertility, reasons for or against parenthood, access to reproductive health, etc. In India, the survey covered 1,048 adults aged 18-88 years in urban and rural areas. It highlights economic concerns like financial limitations (38%), housing constraints (22%), unemployment/job security (21%) and insufficient childcare (18%) as major hold-backs. Consequently, the report places much emphasis on improving reproductive agency through solutions that include housing, job security and financial enablers.