Will there be a dip in childbirth in 2021

Will there be a dip in Child birth in 2021?

During intensive lockdown period due to Covid-19, one of the many precautions dinned into our ears is Social Distancing. Though this is generally meant for occasions involving public presence or participation, practicing it as a norm within the house was also envisaged. After all, preventing infection need not be restricted to outsiders! If the majority of Indians had followed this rule’ strictly, there is a likelihood of a significant dip in child births during last quarter of 2020 or first quarter of next year. The assumption is that couples in reproductive age group might have abstained from sex to conform to the norms of social distancing.

 We have heard of several ‘bold’ marriages having been solemnized during the ‘dark’ days, thanks to TV and print media. Do you think these newly wedded couples would have kept quiet? Anyhow the proof of the pudding is in the eating and we have wait for a few more months. However, we can get some predictive hints if we tap obstetricians, nursing homes, maternity homes, hospitals and the like to verify if couples coming for maternity check up has decreased in any good measure. Most visit such diagnostic clinics more to find out the gender of the future entrant, although this is against PNDTA

 

When I discussed this issue with a friend, he argued that bulk of the people – may be 80% of the population, did not have any worthwhile activity to do, confined to their houses all the time. That is all the reason why people might have tested their fecundity status on feeble minded partners. So child birth rate will increase, he surmised.

 

I have not done any big study but cursory google search confirms that there will be fewer births in coming months. On the other hand, the burden on the society from increasing older persons population is serious and real. How the mismatch between the aged who need more caregivers and reduction in available carers can be handled is to be watched.