SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERN OF RURAL SEX RATIO IN KOLHAPUR DISTRICT

The sex ratio is usually defined as the number of females per thousand males. The sex ratio is a function of three basic factors, i.e. sex ratio at birth, differentials in mortality between sexes at different stages of life and sex selective migration. Sex ratio is an index of the socio-economic conditions prevailing in an area and is a useful tool for regional analysis. The knowledge of sex ratio is essential for understanding the employment and consumption patterns and social needs of a community. The separate data for male and female are important for various types of planning and for the analysis of other demographic characteristics, such as natality, mortality, migration, marital status and economic etc. Therefore an attempt is made here to study spatio-temporal pattern of sex ratio in Kolhapur district. The paper is based on secondary data. To analyze spatial pattern of sex ratio the tahsils of Kolhapur district are grouped into four categories on the basis of mean and standard deviation. The study reveals that the very low rural sex ratio is recorded in Karvir and Panhala tahsils due to urbanization and in migration.