India is experiencing profound demographic changes and consequent shifts in the population age structure. Unlike the experience of many other countries, India’s demographic change is unique, unconventional and has its specificities. While the positive impact of fertility changes on women’s empowerment is widely recognized, there have been serious concerns about the implications of fertility change in enhancing women’s position in India (e.g., worsening sex ratio along with fertility change). With the demographic change, a rapid increase has been observed in the older population in recent years, particularly in the proportion of widows. The vulnerability faced by widows got wide attention, but the reasons for it were rooted in the cultural milieu existing in the country. This talk will cover two important dimensions of fertility change and gender equity in India. First, it examines the extent to which fertility change led to gender equity in India. Second, by taking a specific example of widows and estimating their economic value, the paper argues the importance of going beyond the cultural explanation to understand widow vulnerability in India.

Lunch will be served.