POPULATION-POLICY - AUTHORITARIANISM VERSUS COOPERATION

The people whose interests are most adversely affected by frequent bea ring and rearing of children are young women. Social changes that expa nd the decisional power of young women (such as expansion of female li teracy, or enhancement of female employment opportunity) can, thus, be major forces in the direction of reducing fertility rates. This ''coo perative'' route seems to act more securely - and often much faster - than the use of ''coercion'' in reducing family size and birth rates. This essay examines the comparative evidence from India and China on t his subject as well as the interregional contrasts within India.