| Abstract: | Data for this study were obtained between September 1986 and May 1987 from a sample of 506 rural poor male heads of household aged 20-50 years who lived in four developed and four underdeveloped villages in Kanpur and Varanasi districts in Uttar Pradesh, India. Poor households were identified as those headed by adult males with earnings under Rs 55/month and as those with less than 2 acres of land. Only persons who considered themselves poor were included. Findings reveal that over 80% of respondents reported that poverty was due to external factors such as fate. 18.77% attributed poverty to their own actions. 16.80% attributed poverty to personal factors. Reasons did not vary by the development level of villages. Only 12.5% reported living in good living conditions. Ideal family size was stated as 2 sons and 1 daughter. 6.3% indicated disapproval of family planning. About 70% had knowledge of at least one method. Almost all respondents were aware of sterilization, and about 50% knew about condoms. High fertility was attributed by respondents to carelessness, lack of planning, religiosity, illiteracy, ignorance, and lack of knowledge of family planning methods. Family planning acceptance among the study population was low. The interpretation of findings is that the rural poor are insecure and alienated and that the locus of control is external. The suggestion is made that Malthusian pressure from population size and density may be more effective in reducing family size in the future. Poor acceptance of family planning is attributed to a lack of social security. |
