Unit IV

1. Dynamics of Population Pyramids

2. Women Empowerment
3. Indian Population Policies
Population Pyramids
Introduction
Population pyramid is the graphical representation of age and sex composition of a specific
population. It is used by demographers who study population.

Fig. Structure of Population Pyramid

➢ The graph shows the distribution of ages across a population down the centre between
male and female members of the population.
➢ The shape of the population pyramid reflects the characteristics of the population
where
o Left side shows the percentage of males
o Right side shows the percentage of women in each age group.
➢ The graph starts from the youngest population at the bottom to the oldest at the top.
➢ It is called a population pyramid because when a population is growing means there are
more babies being born than there are people dying, the graph forms the shape of a
triangle.
➢ In a population pyramid, the size of population is depicted on horizontal axis while age
is aligned on the vertical axis.

Significance

 A population pyramid can be used to compare differences between male and female
populations of an area.
 Extent of development
 Natural increase in population

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 Birth and death rate
 Helps in finding the extent of economic dependence (children and elders) being
supported in a particular population.
 They show the number of dependents (child and elder people) and general structure of
the population at any given moment.
 The population pyramid can be used to represent additional characteristics of
population such as
o Marital status
o Race
o Geographical location

Different Three Types or trends of Population Pyramids

1) Expansive Pyramid: Expanding Population

❖ Both fertility and mortality rates are high among younger population, which creates
sharp triangle shape in the graph.
❖ The age-sex pyramid of Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Mexico is a triangular
shaped pyramid with a wide base and its typical of less developed countries.
❖ These have larger population in lower age group due to high birth rates.
❖ Expanding pyramid means that population doesn't increase much in total number
and has many young people.

Fig. Expanding Population

2) Constructive Pyramid: Declining Population

 Low birth rate and low death rate.
 Population pyramid is narrow at the base.
 These population pyramids are wider in the middle of the graph because the population
has

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 o High numbers of middle aged
o High number of elderly
o Fewer young people
 The population in developed countries is usually zero or negative. Example, Japan.

Fig. Declining Population

3) Stable Pyramid: Constant Population

❖ There is no change in mortality and fertility rates.
❖ This shows birth and death rates are almost equal leading to a near constant
population.
❖ Countries like Australia and China have bell, pillar shaped age-sex pyramid which
is tapered towards the top.
❖ These population pyramids represent a stable population that will not change
significantly barring any sudden changes to fertility or mortality.

Fig. Constant Population

Conclusion

If part of population has been affected by sudden changes such as casualties from armed
conflict, high female mortality in childbirth or the migration of young workers out of

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poorer regions. The graph will offer a way to visualize how the future population will be
affected. They can also help direct government and private industry distribution of services
for regions based on population needs.

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 Women Empowerment

Introduction

 The census 2011, counts women population 48.5% of the total population in India.
 In the changing dynamics of the society women empowerment is much relevant and
very important.
 Hon'ble Prime Minister of India has recently spoken for women empowerment on 82nd
Mann Ki Baat.

Some Quotes

 Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world (Hillary Clinton).
 We can't all succeed when half of us is held back (Malala Yousafzai).
 There is no chance of the welfare world unless the condition of women is improved
(Swami Vivekananda).
 It is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing (Swami Vivekananda).

#MeToo movement and Sabarimala protests showed Indian women are echoing and are
ready to foment a rebellion.
 Holistic development of women's
o Social
o Economic
o Cultural
o Health status
o Political rights
are critical in achieving economic growth and alleviating poverty.
 India aims to achieve, United Nations mandated Sustainable Development Goal-5,
which focuses on women empowerment and gender equality by 2030.
 To measure the progress of women's rights in the country, we look at the findings of the
recently released National Family Health Survey-5 fact sheets.

Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls
Geder equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a necessary foundation for a
o Peaceful
o Prosperous and
o Sustainable world

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 There has been progress over the last decades, but the world is not on track to achieve
gender equality by 2030.
✓ Gender equality is a fundamental right and necessary foundation
for prosperous, peaceful and sustainable world.
✓ More women are serving in government institutions and fewer
girls are forced into early marriage
✓ 1 in 5 women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 report
experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Reasons for Gender Inequality

Gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress.
 Economic Aspects
 Women in the labour market still earn 23% less than men globally and women
spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.
 India's female labour force participation rate has been dramatically falling and has
fallen to a historic low of 23.3% as per National Sample Survey Organisation
(NSSO).
 Employment opportunities that are open to their mothers, including farm labour and
non-farm manual work in construction hold little appeal to secondary school
graduates who have invested their hopes in education.
 White collar jobs are either not available or demand long hours and offer little job
opportunities in this time of a gig economy.
 A few job opportunities in the arena of mechanics, delivery, drivers, postmen,
appliance repair etc. are available to women.
 Whether employers choose not to hire women in these positions or working
conditions make for an inhospitable environment for young women is not clear.
 Social Aspects (Gender Discrimination)
 Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid and domestic work
and discrimination in public office, all remain hug barriers.
 Women's issues in India have gained prominence once again with the Unnao and
Hyderabad rape (veterinary doctor) tragedies.
 Violence against women has been on the rise ever since they have started stepping
out of their traditional role as homemakers.
 The more women enter into public spaces, the more violence they are likely to face.

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  Violence against women is a heinous manifestation of deep-seated prejudices
against them which dictate that she must confined to the domestic sphere.
 Political Aspects
 Minimal political leadership and parliamentary circumstances are the barriers in
the path of women empowerment.
 There are instances of women being used as proxies by men to win elections in
various states across India.
 The 2019 Lok Sabha lauded the fact that India had its highest number of women
Member of Parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha which was only 14%. This is much
below the already low global average of 24%.
 Moreover, in 1950 itself women formed 5% of the Indian Parliament. A mere 9%
increase in the last 69 years serves as sobering reminder of how slow the progress
has been.
 States like Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu
Kashmir don't have single woman MP in Lok Sabha.
 In fact, Nagaland has never had a female MLA.
All these areas of inequality have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: A surge
in the reports of sexual violence, women have taken on more care due to school closures and
70% of health and social workers globally are women.

Constitutional Backing
 The constitution of India has certain provisions that specifically focus on women
empowerment and prevents discrimination against women in the society.
 Article 14 dictates about equality before law.
 Article 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of
o Religion
o Race
o Caste
o Sex and
o place of birth
enables to make special provisions for women.
 One-third (33%) reservation of women in panchayats and urban local bodies has led
to a welcome spurt (leap) in female political participation and leadership.

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What is the Need Behind Women Empowerment

Violence doesn't just harm individual woman and girl, it also undermines their overall
quality of life and hinder their active involvement in society. For example, recent case of
Manipur.
Regardless of area where you live in, women empowerment is a fundamental right.
 Women empowerment helps in
 Reducing poverty
 Promoting healthy society
 Promoting Education
 Improving protection and well-being of girls and boys

Factors Strengthening Women Empowerment in India

 Gender Discrimination
 The problem of gender discrimination has affected the pace of women empowerment
in India.
 Gender discrimination in all realms of action must be checked.
 Women must be furnished with a resort to take an active part in decision making at
every level and direction procedures to attain the motive of empowering women.
 They need to get due admiration and prominence, which they rightfully earn on
merit basis in society to accomplish their fate.
 Education
 Education enables and builds confidence to take decisions in a better way.
 Giving education to women means giving education not only to the whole family but
also to the whole generation.
 Education policy needs to be more inclusive to ensure girls right to education and their
right to be free from discrimination within educational institutions.
 Education policy should target men and boys to positively change their attitudes
towards girls and women.
 Take example of Gautam Buddha when he returned and asked for charity (भिक्षा) from
his wife (Yashodhara)
 Reward should be given to villages/districts that are able to attain equal child sex ratio
through
o Education

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 o Information
o Communication campaigns
 Role of Media
 Mass media is responsible for playing a significant function to project and propagate
associated issues mostly women empowerment in India.
 The numerous programmes pertaining to women's prestige revealed the mass media
enable her husband to behave toward her wife with loads of honour and respect.
 He can remake his attitude and assist her in the domestic domain to reduce stress and
anxiety.
 Mass media plays a crucial role in repairing attitude and way of conversation of
husband and other family members towards women.
 Development Steps/Programme
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Andolan
o Creating awareness among people to educate girl children in the country.
 Working Women Hostel
o Safe and convenient accommodation should be provided to working women.
o The scheme is given to every working women without any discrimination of caste,
religion, marital status etc.
 MUDRA Yojana (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd)
o Launched in 2015, in which loans of ₹ 10 lakh are provided to women entrepreneurs
without any collateral.
 Maternal Benefit Amendment Act, 2017
o Earlier a lot of women left out their job after giving birth to children due to which
lot of working women unemployed.
o Increasing the period of maternity leaves from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.
 Women Attitude
 Women should empower themselves by becoming to be aware of their
o Oppression
o Indicative initiative
o Confiscating chances
to bring shift in their status.
 Empowerment must come from within the soul.
 They must know that opportunities will not reach their laps.

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  They should fight back to rebuild their prominent position in Indian communities
and societies.
 They must flourish hard to carry out their rights and maintain justice and equality
in society.
 Work vigorously for the entire elimination of
o Poverty
o Illiteracy
o Productive implementation
of all programmes and laws related to women.
 Micro Finance
 NGOs working for the empowerment of women need to take interventions on livelihood
development options related to the market and value chain.
 Micro finance can get women financially stable and therefore she is no longer
dependent upon on others in the society.
 Government should promote creation of self-help group by women.
 Tax benefits should be given to companies that provide employment to 30% women
workers.
 Industry specific targets for women's employment and motivate their implementation
by firm.
 Policies and guidelines should be made in such a way that it is easy for women
entrepreneurs to get credit facilities.
 Skilling
 Promote skill development among women in non-traditional works like electricians,
plumbers, drivers etc. to make women more self-dependent.
 Skilling can get women financially stable and therefore she is no longer dependent upon
on others in the society.
 Women can be organized into different professional groups so that there is improvement
in their bargaining power.
 Platforms like Digital India should be used for marketing and branding purposes and
to establish linkages with
o Corporates
o Markets
o Consumers

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 NGOs and other institutions should provide employable skills and training to women to
help them find alternative and dignified occupations to earn decently.

Conclusion

If rising education for women doesn't offer increasing income-earning opportunities or

better marriage prospects, does it at least give women greater opportunities in other areas
of their lives? Based on recent National Family Health Survey data, there seems to be little
evidence that a moderate level of education offers women a greater say in household
decisions of freedom of movement outside the home.
College graduates fare slightly better, but even for them, the difference is relatively
small. To argue that women have won the battle to work is far from the truth. As the
progress of humanity is incomplete without women therefore successive governments have
launched number of schemes for the empowerment of women in the male dominated
society.

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 Indian Population Policies
Introduction
United Nations published the data and claimed that India has become the most populous
country (1.43 billion) in the world by surpassing China in April 2023. India's population is
larger than the total population of 3 continents such as
▪ North America
▪ South America and
▪ Australia put together
⁂ According to 2022–23 Economic Survey (56%), India's demographic dividend will
peak around 2041, when the share of the working-age population (15-59 year) is
expected to hit 59%.
⁂ The world's population is expected to hit a peak and then drop by the end of 21st
century.
⁂ Hence, we (India) need to move from a family planning approach to a family welfare
approach.
⁂ We should be focused on empowering men and women in being able to make informed
choices about their
o Fertility
o Health and well-being
⁂ As fertility drops and lifespans rise globally, the world is ageing at a significant pace.
⁂ It is not about whether population is large or small, it is about whether it is healthy,
skilled or productive.

Evolution of India's Population Policies

1. Radha Kamal Mukherjee Committee (1940)

♀ In 1940, Indian National Congress appointed a committee headed by social scientist

Radha Kamal Mukherjee to suggest solutions to arrest the population which has started
increasing rapidly after 1921.

♀ The committee recommended

• Self-control
• Generating awareness of cheap and safe birth control measures
• Discouraging polygamy etc.
to bring down population growth rate.

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2. Bhore Committee (1943)

♀ Bhore committee was set up in 1943 and submitted its report in 1946.

♀ The Health Survey and Development committee under Sir Joseph Bhore recommended
deliberate limitation of family as a measure to control the population.
3. Family Planning with Gandhian Approach (1952)

♀ Indian became one of the first developing countries to come up with a state sponsored
family planning programme in 1950s.

♀ Gandhian approach with self-denial and rhythm (measures) as the main methods.
4. Clinical Approach (1950-60)

♀ A population policy committee was set up in 1952. However, the policies framed in the
early fifties were largely arbitrary and not so successful.

♀ Research in reproduction.

♀ In 1956, central family planning board was set up and its focus was on sterilization.
5. First National Policy (1976)

♀ Government of India announced the first national policy in 1976. Some of the measures
to check the population growth as part of this policy include
• Increase the minimum legal marriageable age for boys and girls to 18 and 21 years
respectively.
• Providing monetary incentives for employing birth control.
• Improving women's literacy levels through formal and informal channels.
• Population was made criteria in deciding the quantum of central assistance to
states.
• Using the different forms of media to popularize family welfare programmes.
• Introducing population education into the formal education system.
6. National Emergency (1975–77)

♀ During the emergency period, coercive measures were used to reduce the population
growth.

♀ Vast number of people mostly poor and powerless were forcibly sterilised.

♀ There was massive pressure on lower-level government official like school teacher or
office workers to bring people for sterilisation in the camps that were organised for this
purpose.

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♀ Here, sterilisation refers to medical procedures like vasectomy (for men) and tubectomy
(form women) which prevent conception and childbirth.

♀ There was mass forced sterilizations, which backfired as it discredited the entire family
planning programme of the government.

7. Target Free Approach (1980–1999)

♀ After the emergency ended, the new government discarded the use of force in family
planning and the family planning programme was renamed as the family welfare
programme.

♀ The National Health Policy was adopted in 1983, which emphasised securing the small
family norms through voluntary efforts and moving towards the goal of population
stabilisation.

♀ A committee on population was appointed in 1993, which submitted its report in 1993 in
which it recommended the formulation of a National Population Policy to take a long-
term holistic view of
• Development
• Population growth
• Environmental protection

♀ The committee (1993), suggested policies and guidelines formulation of programmes

and a monitoring mechanism with
• Short-term
• Medium-term
• Long-term perspectives and goals
8. 2nd National Population Policy (2000)

♀ An expert group headed by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan was set up to create the draft national
population policy.

♀ The Immediate Objective: address the unmet needs for

o Contraception
o Healthcare infrastructure
o Health personnel
o Integrated service delivery for basic reproductive and child healthcare

♀ The Medium-term Objective: reduce the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to replacement
level of 2.1 children per women.

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♀ The Long-term Objective: achieve stable population by 2045 with
o Social development
o Sustainable economic growth
o Environmental protection
Important Features of NPP (2000)

♀ NPP reinforces the vision of the government to encourage voluntary and informed
choices and citizens' agreeability to achieve maximum benefits from reproductive
health services.

♀ Making school education free and compulsory up to the age of 14 years.

♀ Reducing the dropout rates of both boys and girls.

♀ Achieving universal immunization for all children against vaccine preventable diseases.

♀ Achieving 80% institutional deliveries and 100% deliveries by trained professional.

♀ Encouraging delayed marriage for girls.

♀ Attaining 100% registration of pregnancies, births, deaths, and marriages.

♀ Achieving universal access to information/counselling and services for fertility

regulation and contraception with a huge range of choices.

♀ Decreasing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) to under 30 per 1000 live births.

♀ Reducing the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to under 100 per lakh live births.

♀ Containing the spread of AIDS, boosting better coordination between the management
of reproduction tract diseases (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) and
National AIDS control organisation (NACO).

♀ Preventing and controlling communicable diseases.

♀ Integrating Indian Medicine systems (AYUSH) in reproductive and child health service.

♀ Vigorously furthering the small family norms.

♀ Bringing out a convergence of all related social programmes so that family planning
and welfare become a people centric programme.
The NPP 2000 is different from previous population regulation programmes as for the first
time, the population problems were seen in combination with
o Child survival
o Maternal health
o Women empowerment

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 o Contraception issues

Conclusion

Population problem is not just an issue of lack awareness or education, but inherently linked
to societal norms, poverty and cultural preferences like preference for male child, large
families and so forth. A mere focus on contraception and sterilization will not render the
population control measures successful and so will not coercive and top-bottom approach
help either. The focus must be on a basket of issues such and poverty alleviation, women
empowerment, education, social awareness, access to reproductive healthcare facilities,
changing mindset and societal norms.
Adequate measures must be taken to take advantage of the demographic dividend of
the country so that population is not a burden but a resource in the rapid economic
development of the country.

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