Children and Family Relationship

Contents: Preface. 1. The background. 2. Women and children. 3. Essential reproductive and health services. 4. Food, health and family planning. 5. Child birth-control. 6. Women, socially and culture. 7. Public health services. 8. The family as a general model of human organization. 9. Role of women in India. 10. Financial the reproductive programme in India. 11. Child care--a national priority. 12. Growth of the child in India. 13. National policy for children. 14. Child care : a vision. Index.

"In India, excess female mortality persists up to the age of 30 -- a symptom of a bias against females. But there are wide disparities in fertility and mortality among states and within states, between rural and urban areas. The substantially unfavourable levels of these indicators in the northern states but in southern states reflect marked social and demographic contrasts between the Hindi belt and the rest of India. The poor health of Indian women is a concern on both national and individual levels. Improving women\'s health requires a strong and sustained government commitment a favourable policy environment and well targeted resources. Traditional marriages concern families rather than individuals and are arranged when they are still children. The sate motherhood component has progressed at a slower pace than the child survival component. The burden of illness in rural India that results from the high incidence of infant and child death, and pervasive morbidity is enormous. Take for example the common problem of excessive population growth, a problem that inevitably is of greater and more direct concern to women." (jacket)