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SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF ABORTION IN INDIA: A NORTH–SOUTH COMPARISON

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 October 2005

SUNITA BOSE
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, University of Albany, USA
KATHERINE TRENT
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, University of Albany, USA

Abstract

Data from the 1998–99 National Family Health Survey (NFHS2) of India are used to examine the net effects of social and demographic characteristics of women on the likelihood of abortion while emphasizing important differences between women from northern and southern states. A north–south comparison illustrates that southern women have relatively higher levels of literacy and labour force participation, lower levels of son preference, and smaller family size. Results from logistic regression analyses show that literacy, type of work, belonging to a scheduled caste or tribe, urban residence, standard of living, parity, religion, age, age at union and contraceptive behaviour all have significant effects on the likelihood of abortion. However, most of these effects significantly differ for southern and northern women. Moreover, the effects of agricultural work, son preference and age at union on the likelihood of abortion are significant for northern but not southern women.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

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