Population Foundation of India is deeply concerned about recent statements made by political leaders such as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, suggesting that families should produce more children. These remarks, likely influenced by India’s upcoming delimitation exercise which could reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats for southern states due to the lower proportion in the country’s overall population, risk undermining the country’s progress on women’s autonomy, gender equality, and population stabilisation.
“Addressing the needs of an aging population and the concerns surrounding the impending delimitation exercise are serious concerns. Prescribing women to have more children as a solution is deeply flawed,” said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India. “Global experience shows that telling women to have more children has never worked. The number of children a woman has depends on a multitude of factors—education levels, economic opportunities, geographic and social context, and access to healthcare services. There is no switch that can simply be turned on or off to produce more or fewer babies.”
India’s demographic landscape is marked by significant regional variations. The northern and southern parts of the country are at different stages of demographic transition. States in the south, like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, have done remarkably well in achieving lower fertility rates due to early investments in education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment. In contrast, many northern states, such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, continue to have higher fertility rates and larger family sizes. This demographic imbalance has created political concerns around representation, with fears that the north will gain more parliamentary seats at the expense of the south in the upcoming delimitation. However, encouraging higher fertility rates in the south could undermine decades of progress in population stabilization and women’s empowerment. Declining fertility rates and longer lifespans are signs that women are gaining control over their bodies and exercising their freedoms in making fertility decisions.
Instead of asking women to have more children, the government should focus on reducing the economic and social costs of childbearing for women and ensuring that policies empower them to balance family life and work. As seen in countries across Europe and the West, efforts to boost fertility rates have been successful not by asking families to have more children but by creating environments where families can thrive. This includes making it easier for women to continue their work, a significant part of which would be providing government-supported childcare and engaging men through awareness programmes.
“Without the active involvement of men in childcare and household responsibilities, the pressure on women to balance work and family life can become overwhelming,” said Muttreja. “Encouraging shared parental responsibilities and providing incentives for men to take on caregiving roles—such as paternity leave and workplace policies that support work-life balance can be crucial in reducing the burden on women.”
Countries like Sweden, Denmark, and France have demonstrated that policies supporting women’s workforce participation, gender equality, and shared childcare responsibilities contribute to higher fertility rates without compromising women’s autonomy. Sweden and Denmark, for example, have seen stable or growing fertility rates because of extensive public childcare, parental leave, and policies that incentivize both parents to share the responsibility of child-rearing. Meanwhile, countries that have pushed for higher birth rates without supporting gender equality—such as Hungary—have seen limited success, showing that the key lies in comprehensive support systems, not mere encouragement to have more children.
Interstate migration could help balance population density between states with high fertility rates and those with aging populations. By encouraging migration from states with surplus labor (high fertility) to states with labor shortages (low fertility), India can optimize its workforce distribution, sustaining economic growth across regions. Vocational training and upskilling migrants could help us meet the specific needs of states with labour shortages.
Chandrababu Naidu also expressed concern about the aging population in Andhra Pradesh, a demographic shift underway in many neighbouring states as well. For southern states, this concern must translate into action by recognizing the potential for a “silver dividend.” This can be achieved by creating opportunities for older adults to remain economically active, while simultaneously providing strong support systems for their healthcare and overall well-being.
“Additionally, strengthening geriatric healthcare, particularly for chronic diseases and mental health, and improving social security mechanisms, especially for informal sector workers, are crucial,” said Muttreja. “To ensure that caregivers, often women, can continue participating in the workforce, the government must implement policies that encourage male engagement in caregiving and introduce support systems like caregiver allowances, training, and respite services.”
The focus must remain on policies that empower women, reduce the cost of childbearing, and promote gender equality rather than promoting population growth and asking women to bear more children. India has made tremendous progress in population stabilisation and women’s empowerment, and political narratives that encourage higher birth rates risk undoing these advancements.
