Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 18;20(1):350.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-8402-9.

Desire to delay the first childbirth among young, married women in India: a cross-sectional study based on national survey data

Affiliations

Desire to delay the first childbirth among young, married women in India: a cross-sectional study based on national survey data

Ismael Ibarra-Nava et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Young women in India continue to face diverse challenges that threaten their health and wellbeing. The reproductive health and rights of newly married women, who are often expected to begin childbearing soon after marriage, are often neglected. The present study aims to understand some of the factors associated with the desire to delay the first childbirth in young, married women in India.

Methods: The study utilised the data from the most recent National Family Health Survey 2015-16 in India. Our study sample was restricted to married women who were 15-24 years of age and who had never been pregnant at the time of the survey. Chi-squared tests, independent t-tests and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to measure associations between multiple independent factors and the reported preferred waiting time for the first childbirth.

Results: Among never pregnant, married women aged 15-24, 21.49% reported a preferred waiting time for their first childbirth of 2 years or more. Belonging to an other backward class, or OBC, (ORadjusted 1.55, 95%CI 1.14-2.10), having completed higher education (ORadjusted 2.04, 95%CI 1.11-3.76), marrying after the age of 18 (ORadjusted 1.57, 95%CI 1.10-2.24), a husband's higher education level (ORadjusted 2.42, 95%CI 1.27-4.64), a younger husband (ORadjusted 0.75, 95%CI 0.66-0.84) and non-exposure to physical violence (ORadjusted 1.84, 95%CI 1.09-3.11) were significantly associated with a longer preferred waiting time for the first childbirth.

Conclusion: Intimate partner violence and partner characteristics play a role in the childbearing intentions of young women after marriage. Delaying the first childbirth could improve women's educational and economic opportunities, their health, and the health of their future and properly planned children. To achieve this, it is crucial to promote and respect women's right to decide who and when to marry, when to have children, and to promote relationships free of gender-based violence.

Keywords: First childbirth; India; Intimate partner violence; Young women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency [Internet]. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 2018 [cited 16 April 2018]. Available from: https://www.cia.gov/librarY/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html.
    1. United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Youth population trends and sustainable development [Internet]. 2015 p. 1. Available from: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/YouthPOP.pdf.
    1. Das Gupta M, Engelman R, Levy J, Luchsinger G, Merrick T, Rosen J. The State of World Population 2014. New York: United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA); 2014.
    1. Adolescent pregnancy . World Health Organization. 2018.
    1. Matthews Z, Padmadas SS, Hutter I, McEachran J, Brown JJ. Does early childbearing and a sterilization-focused family planning programme in India fuel population growth? Demogr Res. 2009;20:693–720. doi: 10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.28. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources