According to the 2011 census, it is revealed that out of 1,19,92,001 married women in the State, 14.27 per cent have not given birth to any child, 17.04 per cent have given birth to one child, 22.93 per cent have given birth to two children, 17.74 per cent have given birth to three children, 12.23 per cent have given birth to four children, 7.13 per cent have given birth to 5 children, 4.10 per cent have given birth to 6 children and 4.56 per cent have given birth to 7 or more children. It reflects that the highest percentage of married women (22.93 per cent) have preferred for two children.
It is interesting to note that, though the age of marriage of a girl is fixed at 18 years, but women in the age group of less than 15 years have given birth to one to two babies. In the age group of less than 15 years, out of 41,729 ever married women, 74.39 per cent of the women have not given birth to any child, but 9.34 per cent of these women have given birth to one child and 16.27 per cent of these women have given birth to two children. Similarly, in the age group of 15-19 years, there are 2, 90,089 ever married women in the State, out of which 69.79 per cent have not given birth to any child. 22.52 per cent of these women have given birth to one child. 4.23 per cent of these women have given birth to two children, 1.55 per cent of these women have given birth to three children and 1.92 per cent of these women have given birth to four children.
It is also worth mentioning to note here that in the age group of 20-24 years, there are 11, 65, 440 ever married women in the State. Out of these women, 36.39 per cent have not given birth to any child, 40.59 per cent have given birth to one child, 17.17 per cent have given birth to two children, 4.02 per cent have given birth to three children, 1.01 per cent have given birth to four children, 0.29 per cent have given birth to five children, 0.14 per cent have given birth to six children and 0.40 per cent have given birth to seven or more children.
With the increase in the age of the ever married women, gradually the percentage of the ever married woman giving birth to no children has come down up to the age group of 60-64 years and again it has increased from the age group of 65-69 to the age group of 80+ years. Out of the 1, 86,315 ever married women in the age group 80+ years, 13.49 per cent of the women have not given birth to any child.
In the age group of 15-19 and 20-24 years, the highest percentage of ever married women has given birth to only one child. In the age group of 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 and 40-44 years, the highest percentage of women have given birth to two children. Similarly, the highest percentage of ever married women given birth to three children is noticed in the age group of 45-49, 50-54 and 55-59 years. Similarly, the highest percentage of ever married women given birth to four children are reported in the age group of 60-64, 65-69 and 70-74 years and the highest percentage of ever married women given birth to seven or more children is noticed in the age group of 75-79 and 80+ years.
Out of the total women of 20,762,082 in Odisha reported during 2011 Census, 11,992,001 women are ever married (57.76 per cent). These ever married women have given birth to 31,367,713 children out of which 16,433,311 are males and 14,934,402 are females. It reveals that on an average an ever married woman in Odisha has given birth to 2.6 children. The highest percentage of children ever born i.e. 39,35,013 is noticed to the women in the age group of 35-39 years followed by 40-44 years (37,64,488), 45-49 (34,98,763) and 30-34 years (33,04,296).
The sex ratio of the children ever born to all the ever married women in the State is 909, which is less than the sex ratio of the State (979). This shows that a preference of male child in the society still prevails in spite of several steps taken by the Government, non-Government and semi-Government agencies.
Out of the total ever married women of 11,992,001, 16.16 per cent of these women have no surviving child, 18.83 per cent women have one surviving child, 24.82 per cent women have two surviving children, 18.65 per cent of the women have three surviving children, 11.44 per cent of the women have four surviving children and 10.11 per cent women have five or more surviving children.
While making a comparison with the data on the number of children ever born, it is seen that 14.27 per cent of the ever married women have not given birth to any child whereas 16.16 percent of the ever married women have no surviving children. This increase in percentage indicates the death of the children born to ever married women.
Similar situation is noticed in case of one child, two children and three children. The percentage of women having four surviving children has decreased to 11.44 per cent from 12.23 per cent of the women who have ever given birth to four children. The decrease is more in case of five or more surviving children. There are 10.11 per cent of the ever married women of whom five or more children are surviving though 15.79 per cent of the women have given birth to five or more children. It indicates that where the number of children ever born is high, the survival rate is low i.e. more number of children have died. Similar trend is noticed in all other age groups. In case of ever married women having no surviving children and no child ever born, it is seen that the percentage of ever married women having no surviving children is more than the per cent of ever married women having no child ever born.
Out of the total children ever born i.e. 31,367,713 to all ever married women, the surviving children are 27,357,593 which indicates that 40,10,120 children i.e. 12.78 per cent of the children ever born have died. Among males, 20, 61,197 children are dead (12.54 per cent) and among females, 19, 48, 923 children are dead (13.05 per cent). The death percentage of female child is more than the male child.
It is revealed that 12.78 per cent of the children ever born have died. 12.54 per cent of the male children ever born and 13.05 per cent of the girl children ever born have died. While analyzing the age group wise data of ever married women, it is seen that for the girls who have married below the age of 15 years, 10.97 per cent of their children have died. In case of ever married women of 15-19 years, 11.17 per cent of their children have died. It is worth mentioning to note here that for the women aged 19 years and above, the death rate of their children is less than average death rate up to the age of 40-44 years. The death rate increases for currently married older women aged 45 years and above indicating improved health care in recent years.
It is interesting to note here that though the reproductive age of a woman is generally 15-49 years, but it is revealed from the Census that 9,197 children have been born to the women aged 50 years and above. Out of these births, 6.06 per cent births are of first in order, 15 per cent births are of second, 21.81 per cent births are of third, 24.43 per cent births are of fourth, 15.22 per cent births are of fifth, 8.44 per cent births are of sixth and 9.04 per cent births are of seventh or more in order of birth which shows that the child bearing capacity still prevails with the women of 50 years and above.
(The writer, a senior IAS officer, is Director of Census, Odisha)