A HISTORICAL STUDY OF AGES AT MENARCHE, MARRIAGE, MENOPAUSE AND FAMILY-SIZE IN HIGH-CASTE BENGALIS OF CALCUTTA

The study tries to search out the changing patterns, if any, in the me narcheal and menopausal ages amongst the women born between the last d ecade of the last century and the seventh decade of the present centur y. These two inevitable biological events in the life of the women hav e been assessed in the background of the factors like the age at marri age and family size alongwith other features like influence of contrac eptive devices. The data have been drawn from the women belonging to t h ree high caste groups in Calcutta. The lowing of menarcheal as well as menopausal ages has been correlated with a number of environmental factors.