Fertility differentials among religious minorities: cross-national and regional evidence from India and Bangladesh

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fertility differentials among religious minorities: cross-national and regional evidence from India and Bangladesh

AU - Sahu, B.

AU - van Wissen, L.J.G.

AU - Hutter, I.

AU - Bosch, A.

N1 - Reporting year: 2012

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - The article examines the independent effect of religious minority status on fertility at two levels i.e. cross-country level of India and Bangladesh and intra-country level (district) of India. Demographic and health survey data from India (2005–2006) and Bangladesh (2006–2007) are used for the crosscountry comparison and the census of India (2001) for the intra-country comparison.Minority status is operationalised first as an interaction between country and religion, and second through a religionbased concentration index. This article finds empirical support for the independent effect of religious minority status on fertility at the crosscountry (India and Bangladesh) and intra-country (districts of India) level. This article contends that high fertility among religiousminorities is a result of vulnerability due to socio-economic disadvantageous position of minorities in India and Bangladesh. keywords: religious minority; fertility; crosscomparison; India; Bangladesh

AB - The article examines the independent effect of religious minority status on fertility at two levels i.e. cross-country level of India and Bangladesh and intra-country level (district) of India. Demographic and health survey data from India (2005–2006) and Bangladesh (2006–2007) are used for the crosscountry comparison and the census of India (2001) for the intra-country comparison.Minority status is operationalised first as an interaction between country and religion, and second through a religionbased concentration index. This article finds empirical support for the independent effect of religious minority status on fertility at the crosscountry (India and Bangladesh) and intra-country (districts of India) level. This article contends that high fertility among religiousminorities is a result of vulnerability due to socio-economic disadvantageous position of minorities in India and Bangladesh. keywords: religious minority; fertility; crosscomparison; India; Bangladesh

U2 - 10.1002/psp.701

DO - 10.1002/psp.701

M3 - Article

SN - 1544-8444

VL - 18

SP - 503

EP - 515

JO - Population, Space and Place

JF - Population, Space and Place

IS - 5

ER -