Varied Perspectives on the Family Planning Policy in India

Population study based choice of relevant research policy topic

The corresponding study would be associated with the specified topic of the policies formulated on the differential aspects of family planning in India and the varied perspectives which could be in existence concerning such policies. The selection of this specific topic has to be put into perspective at the onset of this study so as to establish the underlying rationale for undertaking such a selection to the intended audience who could be outlined in the subsequent sections of the study. The topic has been selected on the basis of the multifaceted dimensions related to the family planning policies and the effects of the same on the socio-cultural contextual backdrop of India. The research emphasis would be concentrated on the factors of gender equality and implications of the existing situations and the influence of the same on the paradigm changes which the formulated family planning policies have oriented towards bringing within the Indian socio-cultural context. In this context, the study would be considering the various individual components which formulate, in a holistic manner, the overall structure of the implementation of family planning policies within the Indian demographic study context. In this respect, the core aspect which could be considered to be the policy relevant research topic is the Feminist political population control perspectives which could influence the directions and actualities of the family planning and population management policies which could be formulated and implemented by any national government such as that of India. The criticality of approach through which the demographers could identify the latent aspects which address such a research topic from multiple perspectives, regarding the influence and impact of such a factor on the overall progression of family planning policy implements within the Indian context, would be of specific importance for the research study. Furthermore, the influence of the demographic dividend, to certain extents, regarding the participation of the female populace in the mainstream social dynamics and the associated changes in the financial conditions of the female populace of India, would be as well a significant aspect which would be taken into the consideration from the perspective of differential implications of the family planning policies of India.

Decide an audience for your report

The selection of proper audience is fundamentally crucial for this study since without the selection of the proper and specific audience of the research topic based study outcomes, it is generally problematic for the Researcher to outline the validity of the research outcomes in a definite manner. The proper selection of the audience is also necessary to narrow down the scope of the research outcomes while keeping the research literature based academic approach towards addressing the research objectives, previously determined, in the form of research topics, as broad as possible. According to Allen and Jaramillo-Sierra (2015), from the prevalent feminist perspective, the policymakers should be considered to be the most significant audiences for this study report for a host of reasons. The most significant one could be outlined as the macro-level orientation of the entire study project since the Researcher has been considerate to focus upon the both the broader perspective of different dimensions of the family planning policies which have been formulated in India so far and the Feminist political population control perspectives, the impact of which has been, arguably, influencing the greater discourse of such policies. Thus, it could be determined, that, for the policy formulators regarding family planning related initiatives, within the Indian socio-demographic context, it could be of vital significance to better comprehend different strands of discussions and philosophical perspectives which could be provided by the Feminist philosophical and political discourses regarding the demographic positions of women as well as their economic conditions which could have significant bearing upon the entire outcome of family planning based population control policies within the Indian social context.

In terms of explaining to the policymakers the significance of taking into consideration the demonstrated information in the report, it is necessary to outline that the primary orientation of the research has been formulated regarding the provisioning of the indication of a host of different, general care and welfare related aspects which are necessary to be included within the governmental policies for the benefit of the general populace, within India and abroad. As per the research of Janssens (2007), the first one could be identified as the discourse of the gainful employment achievement by women in India, which could translate to the variations of the rates of fertility within the social context of India. According to Qian, (2017), this is also an important aspect which needs to be taken into consideration by the policymakers since fertility issues could gain the centre point of family planning impetus related initiatives which the policymakers could be tasked with to consider while giving shape to their policies. The second one could be identified as the prospects of accessing universal reproductive health-care services, involving the family planning related provisioning of education and information. This is vital from the perspective of integration of such services within the national level strategic programmes and policies formulated to benefit the determined service recipients such as women in particular.

Apart from these considerations, according to Durbin, Page and Walby (2017), from the perspective of family relationship and feminist theoretical constructs, the corresponding research would also highlight the necessity to involve peripheral audiences in tandem with the policymakers. These audiences could be understood to be the social activists, including the feminists, research scholars and institutions related to provisioning of academic funds for the purpose of future researches into such specific or general topics. The inclusion of such audiences could be signified from the perspective that such specific research issues are mostly necessitated to have a definite resonance in the broader periphery of the academic and administrative as well as research based circles where the sharing of information with different nodes of research progression, such as those of the individual or institutional researchers and scholars as well as administrative officials who could be associated in any measure with the family planning related initiatives or undertakings, could materialise. This is also significant from the research perspectives concerning the evaluation of the measure of congruence of the previously formulated and under observation family planning and population policies within India with that of the United Nations Development Programme’s Sustainable Development Goal 3.7 which intends to ensure universal access to the facilities of reproductive and sexual healthcare and family planning mechanisms as well as the integration of such goals into respective national strategic programmes throughout the globe (UNDP. n.d.).s

Overview and explanation of the topic

Concerning the establishment of the topic overview, according to Nelson (2016), it is necessary to consider three specific perspectives, from the view point of interdependence of the concepts of family planning and feminism. The first one relates to the fundamental necessity of undertaking corrective actions in the overall formulated policies within the family planning objectives within India so as to gain better and more verifiable results out of the same. As has been observed by Gupta (2017), such course corrections are fundamental for the family planning policy formulators, within India and possibly, beyond the socio-cultural perspective of India as well since various other countries could be experiencing similar demographic conditions such as that of India, to adjust to new situations and consider various influences of the often resurgent Feminist doctrines and philosophical outlooks, which increasingly pervade the structure of fertility management and family planning based population control, from different perspectives. This specific realisation leads to the second definitive perspective related to the topic of family planning policies and the influence of Feminist philosophical standpoints and approaches to the questions of the roles of the female populace in the management of demographic transformation within the social context of India. This could be better understood to be the implications of the formulated and implemented policies on the gender based dynamics within the demographic context. Khader (2016) has observed that the implications of the gender based policies, from the perspective of female empowerment, are invasive in terms of the establishment of the inference of the effects of the changing educational, political and especially financial frameworks of the Indian social structures, which directly impact the role of women in the current conditions as well. Communicating such perspectives to the policymakers to address any discrepancy in research perception on part of such personnel could be vital for this research process so as to benefit the methods through which the configuration of such general plans and policies could is undertaken.

Finally, according to Kurian et al (2016) the assumptions concerning the determination of influence of feminist approaches on the cultural perspectives, both implicit and explicit in nature, concerning the formulation and establishment of such policies in the first place within the Indian context, could be considered to be the third research perspective. The rationale of the same could be recognised as the acknowledgement of the core issues regarding population control through family planning implementation and representation of such issues and problems by the policymakers within their decisional framework. To this effect, the implications of gender based outlooks such as the Feminist perspectives on such policy frameworks within the Indian situations, could be contextualised through this research.

6. Develop action plan

Furthermore, the overview of the selected research topic is reflective of some particularities related to the broader periphery evolution of the family planning programmes over the years since the advent and implementation of such programmes since the year 1952 in India. These could be comprehended in the manner of status of women within the society of India, the prevailing literacy rate, the Work Participation Rates (WPRs) and the related effects on the mainstream dynamics of the societies associated with such activities. In this respect, the selection of this specific research issue could be contextualised as a deliberate effort invested towards identification of the determiners such as varying inclination towards the utilisation of contraception, the core element of family planning and birth control in India and abroad, on part of the Indian women. Such research has the relevant resonance beyond the social constrictions of India as well since population control is a relevant socio-economic topic which has been and is being considered with utmost seriousness throughout the world. The evaluation of the different implications of the Feminist Ideology on the overall discourse of family planning related programmes and on the decision making trends through the policymakers could thus be considered to be central to the overview of the entire research undertaking.

Furthermore, the research process would be deliberative to assess multiplicity of different indicators of family planning based considerations such as the age of the women, the employment scenario of the mothers, certain probabilities such as single motherhood and involvement of men as well regarding the family influence on the women to practice contraception. The study would be concentrating upon the influence of Feminist perception on the positional factors related to the status of women within the Indian societal context. One critical aspect regarding the research effort investment would be shedding light upon the academic perception of determination of the role of Indian woman as the overproducers of the demographic units in the form of children which contributes in the rapidity of population growth and leads to the general crisis of over population in India. According to Larrabee (2016), the macro-level attributes of the study research would be also associated with the accounts of the specific aspect of Feminist interdisciplinary perspectives which could be understood as the contention between two differing social forces. The first one could be outlined as that related to modernisation, with particular emphasis on the distribution and utilisation of contraceptives and the second one is related to the resistant social forces. At this critical juncture, two specific approaches regarding the population control policy and family planning programming framework within India, could be considered and these are to be understood to be situated knowledge with the gendered implications of the same and the modernisation and developmental idealism based considerations.

The information investigation framework of Bacchi WPR would be critical in terms of assessment of the family planning programmes and the associated influences of the Feminist discourses. According to Bacchi (2013), this framework is reflective of the actual problem in the form of over population and family planning outcomes, the various presupposition and assumptions which underscore the representation of the actual problems, the approach the demographers have taken to evaluate and resolve such issues, the prevalent academic responses towards the same, the implications of the gendered studies on the methods through which family planning processes are developed by the policymakers and finally the backdrop of the context which has prompted such studies to take place.

Critically assessment of the study of the topic from demographical point of view

From the point of view of globalisation based perceptions of female social involvement, according to the research of Lindio-McGovern and Wallimann (2016), the primary indication of utilisation of gender as a framework to connect to the complex scenarios related to population increase and fertility rate enhancement, could be comprehended from the study of the differential explanations related to the economic, cultural and social arguments. According to Lister and Campling (2017), the focal point of such discussions is to be understood to be the increasing influence of women, and in that form, of Feminist perspectives, regarding the question of fertility related decisions within the prevailing social context. Concerning the demographical points of view, three prevailing assumptions are to be considered regarding the evaluation of Feminist philosophical concepts on the general discourse of the population dynamics and family planning. The first one is associated with the perception that fertility levels are associated with the involvement of women within the family based decision formulation perspectives. The second one could be identified as enhanced fertility levels have direct negative implications on population dynamics. The final one is that fertility levels are direct determiners of the demographic reality of the national context as well as the frame of reference to which such studies could be related to.

Concerning the evaluation of the prospects of application of feminist methodologies within the contextual perspectives of demographic study based family planning prospects within the national scenario of India and also within the global sector, Nelson (2016) has observed that, the unbridled enhancement of the birth rate within the Indian social context is reflective of the pro-natalist policy application, generally, within the concerned society. According to Palriwala and Neetha (2018), this has to be considered from the feminist perspective of equity based outlooks, in addition to the often bureaucratic approach of only assessing the efficiency of any formulated family planning impetus, which could be applied to the concerned Indian social context. This could be further elaborated from the research perspective of Peters and Wolper (2018), in the form of taking into account the various norms and conventions which are prevalent within the demographically relevant social context as well as feminist philosophical perspectives, only for the reason that demographers generally rely on such holistic study approaches regarding different investigative issues, to provide the most verifiable and relevant acceptability to their developed outcomes. In this context, Rao and Mazumdar (2017) have outlined three specific perceptions regarding the implications of population policies which have repeatedly been observed by different researchers in the realm of demographic studies, including the evaluation of the differential prospects of female reproduction scenario at the backdrop of the existing political contexts. The first one could be understood to be the portrayal of women as cultural reproducers of national identities. Tong (2018) highlights that this has been especially a factor regarding the sensibilities and cultural dimensions of the global social dimensions. In this context, the Indian societies, at different junctures of history since, from time immemorial, women have been considered in India as the cultural transmission instruments of the linguistic, religious, social as well as political values and beliefs which have been instrumental in formulation of the general psyche of the Indian populace, to the majoritarian extent. Transformation of the subsequent generations into proper citizens and members of the respective ethnic and social groups within the overall structure of the Indian societies has been generally ascribed to the women over the ages. This has been a specific patriarchal narrative which has been in stark contrast to that of the feminist political perspectives regarding the roles of women in the general societal structure of India over the ages. This specific feminist approach in defining the roles of women in the context of the Indian socio-political structure, from a historical perspective, forms the second perception which had been indicated previously. This could be further elaborated from the bioethical perspectives of Tong (2018) as that of the actual role of women across different cultures, including that of India, having been that of biological reproduction units within the society. This has brought into focus a specific occurrence of theoretical contention involving the pro-natalist sociological factions and the anti-natalist endeavours as well (Samal & Dehury, 2015). From the research observations of Tuana (2018) it could be outlined that the most prominent feminist discourse has been critical of such a role of Indian women as to be the primary rationale through which the historical patriarchal structure of the social governance systems in India, had repeatedly denied Indian women the equal rights and egalitarian opportunities. From the behavioural as well as social outlooks, involving feminist theoretical constructs and the influence of the same on social practices, Van Voorhis (2017) has observed that this has been in continuum to this day as well, including in the Indian social context.

The third perception could be underlined, according to Palriwala and Neetha (2018), as that of the conceptualisation of women as the creators as well as the maintainers of cohesion and solidarity as well as the integrity of the Indian social fabrics. This brings into focus, on part of the demographers, the fact that the historical conditions regarding the economic situations of the Indian society have led to the generalisation of specific roles for women as the providers of care for the children, the sick and the elderly. Such societal and economic roles of women have led to the discourse of formulation of differential interpersonal relationships which emphasise upon the connectedness and linkage establishment, at the levels of the individual units of the Indian society, mostly by women. The outcome of this observation could be outlined in the manner of the feminist philosophical perception that women have been relegated to the secondary role of social significance concerning the utility maximisation perspectives of the economic rationality which has historically pervaded the Indian social narrative and contexts.

Gender based implications

According to Weeks (2017), the previous research backdrops, regarding the approach of demographers towards the issues relating to evaluation of the extent and measure of influence of demographic transitions and political discourses, on the role of women and associated processes such as those of family planning and birth control, have been deficient to certain extents. Durbin, Page and Walby (2017) have mentioned about the renowned Princeton project of studies which involved an extensive scale of research undertakings concerning the effects of gender equality on the development of differential responses at various levels of social discourses, yet, divulged results which could be considered to be vacuous at best, from the academic relevance based standpoints. The studies undertaken by such projects and associated researches of different demographers did not achieve the linkages between the role of women to various measures of economic development. Instead, repeated researches such as those conducted by the Princeton project focused on the linguistic, regional as well as ethnic identities of the studied social units. Such improprieties consistently contributed to the greater inclination by the Demographers towards the cultural narrative based approaches concerning the underlying issues and this phenomenon relentlessly shifted the focus of the previously conducted researches away from that of the economic perspectives regarding the conditions and situations of women in general in the global context.

Furthermore, the orientation of the previously performed demographic studies, both at India and abroad, had been primarily concentrated on the macro-level and such approaches consistently undermined the necessity taking into consideration the various individual experiences. Such researches consistently highlighted the supposed significance of decision formulation units within the Indian social structures, which, as has been observed through the research of Gupta (2017) could be conceptualised as individual families when the factors of family planning in Indian could be considered. However, as Khader (2016) has stated, the consistent orientation of such researches towards the macro-approaches towards such issues also contributed in the negligence of the macro-changes which had taken place within the organisational units of social and demographic changes in the manner of the family units, constituted by both men and women. This has been an inquest regarding the aspect of female empowerment based autonomy infusion in the decision making framework.

According to Kurian et al (2016) the theoretical construct of Caldwell, focused on the reversal of the integration based flows of consumables and outlined the significance of the status of women within the general society in relation to the feminist perspective based linkages between the prevalent patriarchal social structures and the fertility rate based scenarios, heavily influenced by feminist interpretations of social orders. Nevertheless, such a research also exclusively concentrated on the family planning and birth decision formulation based prospects from the research perspective that the fundamental unit in this regard is that of the family and women should be considered only as a sub-element, in tandem with men, which could formulate the primary structure of such a decision formulation unit. This decision formulation unit was repeatedly signified from the demographic research perspective of sharing of the particular motivations concerning the maintenance of the size, either large or small, of the families in the first place and Lindio-McGovern and Wallimann (2016) has emphasised this to be especially applicable in the third world based social contexts such as that of India.

Thus, the necessity to construct models of greater complexities for the purpose of establishment of the most verifiable and effective connections between the cultural, social as well as economic explanations relating to the entire subject of demographic transitions involving women as fundamental units of maintaining or declining the population enhancement rate, has been palpable in the previous decades regarding such research dynamics. Thus, such observations have brought into focus, from the perspective of the decision formulators, of the role of the respective national governments, to shape the conduct of the human beings in a calculative manner. In terms of the Indian social contexts, the family planning policies have been reflective of the governmental objectives of ensuring the public welfare through improvement of the quality of living and associated factors such as health and longevity. In this context, the improvement of the general population is incumbent on the exercise of governmental rationality which has to be distinct in nature. This could be identified as the process of Governmentality. The underlying constituent factors of such a process could be outlined in the format of obtainment of practical information and knowledge from the most credible as well as the most authenticated sources, formulation of differential modes of perceptions, performance of calculative practices regarding the exercise of various forms of judgements and capacities through which human socio-economic dynamics could be comprehended and influenced and finally the development of techniques through which family planning and birth control mechanisms could be both constructed and implemented.

To this effect, Peters and Wolper (2018), the feminist standpoint of Sandra Harding is to be taken into consideration regarding the delineation of the perceptions related to epistemological advancements. Such theoretical perceptions are reflective of the assumption that individuals who are underprivileged due to their respective social positions could become privileged in terms of the changes in their social positions when they could gain sufficient knowledge regarding their social realities and the factors which pervade such realities. In this context, the feminist philosophical standpoints are reflective of the necessity to outline epistemic justifications which could enable any specific judgement regarding the comparative efficacy of feminist perspectives which could be socially grounded in nature.

Recommendations for policymakers

At the conclusive stage, it could be determined, that, for the policymakers to develop more effective and suitable policies, the differential elements of Governmentality are to be held into consideration. The first of such elements is the consideration regarding the limitations governmental abilities which could be intrinsic to the characterisation of the governmental powers in the forms of an influence rather than a conventional force of implementation of administrative policies. This could have a definite bearing on the positioning of the implementation based prospects of the developed governmental policies and programmes concerning family planning. It is thus, of utmost necessity to draw effective conclusions from the analytic processes of Governmentality which could be further elaborated as the manner in which such socially complicated subjective perspectives could be formulated. It is also the responsibility of the policymakers to dispel any inherent or specialised dichotomy of power implementation which could effectively preclude any situation involving resistance generation. The target of any such formulated family planning based policy is thus to retain the capacity to perform specific actions at deliberate junctures of necessity. This retention of the capacity to act could be comprehended as the source of the entire dynamic nature of governmental policies regarding influencing the social dynamics of birth rates and population control.

The second element could be understood as the limitations which are posed by respective target units of the formulated family planning policies. These are the dual elements of the general population and the individual social units, such as the families, with special emphasis concentrated on the roles of women in such contexts. The final element which needs to be taken into consideration by the policymakers is the evaluation of the limitations of the varied measures of knowledge and information which could be available. The building of better understanding concerning the integrity and autonomous dynamism of the Indian social fabric and the consistently changing involvement patterns of women within this structure, is to be considered to be the most effective governmental intervention policy determinant which could further be bolstered by infusion of operative and contextual reflexivity as well as calculative approaches towards risk management and resistance overcoming, as intrinsic elements within the formulated family planning policies within India.

Reference List

• Allen, K.R. and Jaramillo-Sierra, A.L., 2015. Feminist theory and research on family relationships: Pluralism and complexity. Sex Roles, 73(3-4), pp.93-99.
• Bacchi, C. (2013). Introducing the “What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ approach. In A. Bletsas & C. Beasley (Eds.), Engaging with Carol Bacchi (pp. 21–24). Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/CBO9780987171856A012/type/book_part
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