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Table 4 shows infant mortality rates - the number of babies per 1,000 who die before their first birthday - over the past decade. While the decline has been sharp and creditable, the difference between boy and girl babies is notable. The decline in maternal mortality rates - the number of women who die in childbirth, for every 100,000 live births - has not been as pronounced in many states, Table 5 shows.

Total fertility rates (TFRs) - the number of children a woman would typically have - are shown in Table 6. The "replacement" rate, which keeps population constant, is 2.1; it is worth noting that literate women in India have TFRs of 2.1, and urban women and school-leavers are well below 2.1. There is good news in school enrolment; as Table 7 shows, the number of girls in school has risen over the past decade. However, workforce participation for women is still very low - and has been declining in rural India, according to Table 8.