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The Sociocultural Context of Family Size Preference, Ideal Sex Composition, and Induced Abortion in India: Findings from India's National Family Health Surveys
Authors: Sutapa Agrawal
Source: Health Care for Women International, 33(11):986-1019. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2012.692413.
Topic(s): Abortion
Fertility preferences
Country: Asia
  India
Published: NOV 2012
Abstract: In this study, the author examined the effect of family size preference and sex composition of living children as determinants of induced abortion among women in India by analyzing 90,303 ever-married women aged 15-49, included in India's second National Family Health Survey, conducted in 1998-99. Multivariate logistic regression methods were used to examine the association between induced abortion and possible determinants. The results indicated that a woman's desire to limit family size with preferred sex composition of children, coupled with her autonomy and the sociocultural context, largely determines her experience of induced abortion in India.