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Fertility Differentials among Religious Minorities: Cross‐national and Regional Evidence from India and Bangladesh
Author(s) -
Sahu Biswamitra,
Wissen L. J. G.,
Hutter Inge,
Bosch Alinda
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
population, space and place
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.398
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1544-8452
pISSN - 1544-8444
DOI - 10.1002/psp.701
Subject(s) - fertility , census , geography , vulnerability (computing) , cross country , socioeconomics , economic growth , political science , demography , sociology , population , demographic economics , economics , computer security , computer science
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 cross‐country 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 religion‐based concentration index. This article finds empirical support for the independent effect of religious minority status on fertility at the cross‐country (India and Bangladesh) and intra‐country (districts of India) level. This article contends that high fertility among religious minorities is a result of vulnerability due to socio‐economic disadvantageous position of minorities in India and Bangladesh. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.