In a recent speech, Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), suggested that Indian women should have at least three children to strengthen the nation’s population. While his call might resonate with a certain political agenda, it overlooks a crucial set of economic and social realities that India must carefully deliberate upon and seek to address.

The idea that more children will lead to greater national success is imprudent, myopic, and narrow-minded, let alone a socio-cultural product of seeing women objectively as ‘child bearers’ and ‘mothers’ rather than respecting their agency, reproductivity rights, and fertility preference. From an economic perspective, forcing larger families could place further strain on India’s already overburdened resources, hinder economic development, and infringe on women’s rights. 

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