Fertility Implications of Informal and Formal Work in India

• In Event: 3183 - Section on Global and Transnational Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01. Agency and Citizenship

Abstract

This paper contributes to our understanding of women’s fertility control in India by examining how perceptions of childbearing control differ across informal and formal occupations. Using the India Human Development Survey II and logistic regression, we find that both formal and informal employment is significantly related to greater childbearing control, suggesting that payment is more important than employment context in this relationship. Salaried employees have significantly higher odds of having the most control over their childbearing total, compared to non-working women. However, women working in multiple informal daily wage activities actually had the greatest odds. Thus, it appears that working in multiple domains could be particularly beneficial for this decision-making power. Additionally, we find surprising differentials in fertility control by region in India. Though the South is traditionally thought of as a more autonomous region for Indian women, graphed predicted probabilities suggest that women in the Northeast have the highest probability of having the most say in their childbearing total, followed by women in the North and Central regions. This paper demonstrates the need for continued research on regional differences in autonomy, as well as a need for future projects to strongly consider other consequences of participation within the informal economy

Author

• Tayelor Elizabeth Valerio, Florida State University