Hindu-Muslim Differentials in Fertility and Population Growth in India: Role of Proximate Variables

Religious affiliation has been found to have a significant bearing on fertility in the study of differential fertility by various background variables. First, religion per se has considerable social relevance to fertility. According to Westoff (1959, p. 117), "The religious affiliation of the couple connotes a system of values which can affect family via several routes: (a) directly, by imposing sanctions on the practice of birth control of legitimizing the practice of less effective methods only, or; (b) indirectly, by indoctrinating its members with a moral and social philosophy of marriage and family which emphasises the virtues of reproduction".