Consider the following statements regarding total fertility rate (TFR)...
Replacement level fertility.
The TFR is used to measure the level of population replacement.
A TFR below 2.1 indicates declining population, while a TFR above 2.1 indicates population growth.
Higher levels of education and access to contraception tend to be associated with lower TFRs.
Overall, these statements are accurate.
The TFR is indeed the average number of births by women aged 15-49 based on surveys conducted for a specific period or year. It provides an indication of the fertility rate within a population.
A TFR of 2.1 is commonly considered as replacement level fertility. This means that, on average, each woman is having enough children to replace herself and her partner in the population. This value takes into account factors such as infant mortality rates and individuals who do not reproduce.
The TFR is used as a measure to assess population replacement. If the TFR is below 2.1, it suggests a declining population, as each generation is smaller than the previous one. On the other hand, a TFR above 2.1 indicates population growth, as each generation is larger than the previous one.
Higher levels of education and better access to contraception are generally associated with lower TFRs. When individuals have access to education, particularly for women, they tend to delay childbearing and have fewer children overall. Additionally, when individuals have access to contraception, they can plan their pregnancies more effectively, leading to lower TFRs.
Consider the following statements regarding total fertility rate (TFR)...
Statement 3 is incorrect.
- The TFR has fallen sharply for India in the past three decades. Between 1992-93 and 2019-21, it came down from 3.4 to 2; the fall was especially significant in the rural areas.
- A TFR of 2.1 is considered as “replacement-level fertility”. Simply understood, a woman having two children replaces herself and her partner with two new lives. Since all infants may not survive, the replacement TFR is taken at slightly above two.
- The TFR is the average number of births by women aged 15-49 based on surveys for a particular period/year. Populations can keep growing even with TFRs falling. De-growth requires TFRs to remain below replacement levels for extended periods. The effects of that — fewer children today becoming parents tomorrow and procreating just as much or less — may reflect only after a couple of generations.
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