Would you agree that childlessness is on the rise especially in the cities? What could be the reasons?

The women childlessness in India can be measured by using Indian Census data on women of age 35 to 39 years having no child.  It is seen through data that the women childlessness in India has increased from 4% (in 1981) to 6 % (in 2001) in India.  Urban India has witnessed the corresponding rise to over 7% in the year 2001 from 4% in the year 1981.  Probably the number of infertile women would be much less than the number of childlessness women.  As per the latest data of DLHS – III for the year 2007-08, the women of  age between 35 and 39 and have never given birth to a live child is over 10% in entire India.  Also it is seen that this age group of women have reported that over 8% have never become pregnant.  Thus obviously, the answer is in affirmative that childlessness is on the rise especially in the cities and may become a public health issue.

From the DLHS III data, for the women between the age 35 to 39 years and who never become pregnant and ever seek some treatment for achieving conception, it was observed that the main cause of this problem was mainly because of problem of women.   In 10% of cases only male sex was the cause and in 12% of cases both the sexes were contributing to be the problem of non-conception.  It was in 78% of the cases, only females were contributing to the problem of non-conception.  Thus the problem of male infertility is not that much significant in India. Hospital data may speak differently.

It has been observed that change in age at marriage particularly in urban population, Job pressure, vehicular pollution, emerging career opportunities and resulting postponement of child bearing, long distance couples, psychology of various couples, sexual liberation, galloping urbanization etc. often cited as reasons for childlessness or infertility.