Social Structure and Fertility Behaviour

Book Details

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Author: Satish K. Sharma

• Edition: 2001

• Language: English

• ISBN: 8170336589

• Publication Year: 2001

• Release Date: 1 January 2001

• Pages: 208

• Binding: Hardcover

• Sale Territory: India

About the Book

Human Reproduction: A Sociological Study – With Special Reference to Kinnaur, India examines the interplay between biological reproduction and social structure, focusing on the people of Kinnaur in the north-western Himalayas.

While plants and animals reproduce freely under natural conditions, human beings—through socialization—have evolved controlled, patterned, and institutionalized reproductive behavior. This study explores how marriage and family institutions have shaped fertility, even among tribal communities, and how social-structural constraints produce differing patterns of reproductive behavior across social strata.

With an emphasis on empirical fieldwork in Kinnaur, the author reveals the social-structural dynamics of reproduction, offering valuable insights for researchers in sociology, anthropology, demography, and population studies.

Key Themes

• Human reproduction as both a biological and social phenomenon

• The institutionalization of reproductive behavior

• Influence of social structure on fertility patterns

• Marriage and family systems in tribal and rural contexts

• Case study of Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh

• Interaction between culture, environment, and reproduction

About the Author

Satish K. Sharma is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He has authored and edited several books and contributed research papers to leading journals.

Niranjna is associated with the Population Research Centre at Himachal Pradesh University and has undertaken multiple research projects in population studies.