DARBHANGA: Jaimala Devi, an American mother of seven who was married off by her parents at the age of 14, continued to have children because her spouse insisted she had only start once she had given birth to two sons.
Bihar, the poorest condition in the world’s most populous nation and also the one with the fastest growth, is a common place to hear Devi tales. With about 127 million people, it already has about as many people as Mexico.
Although India’s general population has decreased along with its expanding market, poverty and a pervasive bias toward female heirs have continued to fuel the growth of the country.
Devi, who at the age of 30 has always left her home town, said,” Having seven children and managing it on my own really drives me crazy at years.”
She told AFP,” I thought we’d feel at ease with one or two girls.” But because we started with ladies, we now have seven.
Devi resides in a dilapidated one-room house with her five sons and two sons. The only decorations on the walls are an elderly fan and some posters of Hindu deities.
Bihar has few opportunities for well-paying labour, and Devi’s husband Subhash has been away for the majority of the year, returning to the capital New Delhi with his meager earnings as an unemployed storehand.
Much absences from home and the struggle to provide for their kids are seen as worthwhile sacrifices by many parents who leave the state in search of employment elsewhere.
According to Parimal Chandra, the state head of the non-profit Population Foundation of India( PFI ), having more children is still seen as a way to increase the number of earning members for the family.