Major Ideas
- Some believe that overpopulation causes poverty, and others believe that poverty causes overpopulation
- However, many economists have not drawn connections between population growth, poverty, and the local environment
- However, results from such investigations suggest a strong link between the three factors
- Many of these investigations assume that power is held equally between adults in households
- For example, in poor households in India, males get more than females, and the elderly get less than the young
- Men also have control over the fertility rates of women
- In sub-Saharan Africa, the total fertility rate is between six and eight
- In some countries, women spend about half of their lives carrying children in their wombs or breastfeeding them
- 1 women in sub-Saharan Africa dies for every 50 live births
- Study found that these women are also are illiterate and do not have a paid job
- Many factors prevent women from getting an education
- Educated girls can be perceived as less docile and harder to marry off
- If girls have to support their family by working at home, sending them to even a cheap school can be costly
- In fact, in some households, the children work just as much (if not more) hours than the adult males
- The parents that have many kids without educating them are hindering economic progress
- This exploitation of the commons encourages crowding and puts pressure on the local environment
- Although having children may seem economically beneficial to families, the community as a whole suffers
- One of the solutions to break this harmful spiral is to create policies that give couples more options to limit the number of offspring they produce
- Civil liberties also play a role in fertility rates
- Women with guaranteed rights typically have more economic freedom and less children
- Making common resources less expensive will also decrease the "value" of having children
- Family planning programs are also beginning to have effects in developing countries
Summary
As forests and rivers recede, a child's labor can become more valuable to parents, spurring a vicious cycle that traps families in poverty. Overpopulation, poverty, and the local environment have previously been investigated one-by-one, without consideration for the other two. The results of such research suggest that a strong link between the three exists. There are many reasons why overpopulation and poverty are prevalent in developing countries. The male of the household holds almost all of the power, including the power to control the fertility rates of women in many poor countries. Women are often less-educated than men. Some families go as far as to not educate children at all, because children are needed to support the family by working. Even some women there spend about half of their lives carrying children in their wombs or breastfeeding their babies.Women with guaranteed rights typically have more economic freedom and less children; making common resources less expensive will also decrease the "value" of having children. Family planning programs are also beginning to have effects in developing countries.
As forests and rivers recede, a child's labor can become more valuable to parents, spurring a vicious cycle that traps families in poverty. Overpopulation, poverty, and the local environment have previously been investigated one-by-one, without consideration for the other two. The results of such research suggest that a strong link between the three exists. There are many reasons why overpopulation and poverty are prevalent in developing countries. The male of the household holds almost all of the power, including the power to control the fertility rates of women in many poor countries. Women are often less-educated than men. Some families go as far as to not educate children at all, because children are needed to support the family by working. Even some women there spend about half of their lives carrying children in their wombs or breastfeeding their babies.Women with guaranteed rights typically have more economic freedom and less children; making common resources less expensive will also decrease the "value" of having children. Family planning programs are also beginning to have effects in developing countries.
Reflection
Educating those at reproductive age about the truth of high fertility rates could help them realize what is the best solution for their family. In developing countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, the government's control over affairs is weak at best.
Educating those at reproductive age about the truth of high fertility rates could help them realize what is the best solution for their family. In developing countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, the government's control over affairs is weak at best.