Chapter 9Addressing Population Issues
Overview of Chapter 9
o Population and Quality of Life
• Population and Chronic Hunger
• Economic Effects of Population Growth
o Reducing the Total Fertility Rate
• Culture and Fertility
• Social and Economic Status of Women
• Family Planning Services
o Government Policies and Fertility
• China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Europe
o Achieving Population Stabilization
Population and Quality of Life
o Difficult to meet basic needs in developing countries
o Problems associated with overpopulation:
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Carrying Capacity
o Carrying Capacity (K)
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Population and Chronic Hunger
o Food security
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o Effects of Chronic Hunger
o Solving the Food Problem
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Economic Effects of Population Growth
o Two viewpoints from economists:
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o Most observations support the second viewpoint
o Developmental efforts are also hampered by debt from past development attempts
Reducing the Total Fertility Rate
Three major influences on total fertility rate
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Cultural Traditions
o Culture influences and controls individuals’ behaviors
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o Couple is expected to have large number of children
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o Children often work in family business
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Social & Economic Status of Women
o Gender inequality is common worldwide
o Disparities
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Educational Opportunities and Fertility
o Women with more education
• Marry later
• Have fewer children
Family Planning Services
o In many countries men make reproductive decisions regarding contraceptives
o Family planning services offer information to both men and women on:
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Contraceptive Use among Married Women of Reproductive Age
Government Policies and Fertility- China
o Largest population in the world
o Controversial Family Planning Policy
• 1971- Chinese Government pursued birth control seriously
• 1979- Incentives to promote later marriages and one-child families
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o Law – controversial and unpopular
• Compromised freedom of choice
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Government Policy and Fertility- India
o Severe population pressure
• 1950- first country with government-sponsored family planning
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• 1976- introduced incentives and compulsory sterilization
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• Recent years- government focused on education
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Government Policy and Fertility- Mexico
o Young age structure
• Huge potential for population growth: 33% of population is under age 15
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• 1974-
• Very successful
Government Policy and Fertility- Nigeria
o Population challenge
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o Very high reproductive potential: 43% of population is less than age 15
o Current National Population Policy
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Government Policy and Fertility- Europe
o Population concern
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o Decrease in population could cause decrease economic growth
Achieving Population Stabilization
o How can developing country governments help?
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• Especially for women
o How can developed country governments help?
• Provide financial support
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