Page 71 - IJPS-2-2

Ramesh Babu Kafle

Table 2b. Life table analysis of the third birth interval of currently married women who have married only once by selected background chara-
cteristics, NDHS-2011

Months by which 50% Proportion attaining third birth within (Months)
Background characteristics Number of cases women attained third birth 24 60 120
Year of second birth
2003–2011 2261 64.21 0.118 0.481 -
1993–2003 2600 40.55 0.190 0.641 0.732
Before 1993 1536 32.56 0.241 0.833 0.912
Residence
Urban 1716 51.98 0.152 0.537 0.636
Rural 4681 38.12 0.193 0.699 0.802
Women’s Education
No education 3594 34.80 0.221 0.778 0.872
Primary 1195 45.51 0.177 0.587 0.698
>Primary 1608 NA 0.089 0.380 0.482
Work Status of Women
Not working 1219 46.80 0.175 0.592 0.696
Agriculture 4009 36.99 0.196 0.722 0.830
Non-agriculture 1169 65.48 0.137 0.485 0.563
Exposure to Media
Low 2318 35.21 0.215 0.765 0.874
High 4079 46.03 0.162 0.591 0.688
Household wealth Index
Poorest 1338 32.94 0.259 0.822 0.929
Poorer 1223 36.94 0.194 0.744 0.859
Middle 1227 40.42 0.169 0.668 0.788
Richer 1227 44.60 0.174 0.610 0.716
Richest 1382 76.69 0.113 0.450 0.528
Age of mother at second birth
Less than 20 1346 34.59 0.232 0.756 0.850
20–24 3677 39.49 0.186 0.668 0.769
25 and more 1374 58.93 0.116 0.503 0.609
Sex of second child
Male 3386 45.91 0.153 0.582 0.674
Female 3011 36.52 0.214 0.735 0.848
Survival of second child
Survived >1 year 6035 42.03 0.162 0.636 0.742
Died in infancy 372 24.44 0.481 0.931 0.968
All 6397 40.38 0.181 0.654 0.756
Note: ‘NA’ means the median is not applicable for that category because less than 50 percent women attained next birth within 120 months from the previous birth
Source: Computed by the author from NDHS 2011 data

third birth is 66% with significant variation. For example, 38% of women with secondary or higher
education transited to the fourth birth interval compared to 89% of women whose third child died
during infancy. The increasing median length of higher order birth intervals indicates a reduced pace
of childbearing of higher order births; the declining ultimate proportions attaining all higher or
der births indicate decreased prevalence of higher order births, and hence the fertility decline.

International Journal of Population Studies | 2016, Volume 2, Issue 2 65