4.4 The management of natural increase Flashcards
What is an Anti Natalist policy and an example?
= Decrease pop size
Most countries that have tried to control fertility have sought to curtail it.
- India was the first LIC to introduce a policy
policy designed to reduce fertility in 1952
+ Incentives were given for those will small families. the minimum age of marriage was increased and abortion was legalized in 1972
What is a pro natalist policy and an example?
To increase population size (promote family size and migration).
Lots of countries now perceive their population
as too low
+ Countries are concerned about an ageing
population, labour supplies and the long term
prospect of population decline
+ In Russia, Alcoholism, AIDS, pollution and
poverty have reduced life expectancy and and
discouraged births Since 1991 .
In 2008, Russia
has been honouring families with four or more
children with a paternal glory medal urging parents to have more children.
What is the Chinese one child policy?
China’s One Child policy is a policy that the Chinese government introduced in
1979 to try and solve the problem of overpopulation.
It’s main purpose was to make sure that China
could support its large population with facilities
such as healthcare, education, housing, good jobs and most importantly, food.
The main aim was to reduce poverty and improve the overall quality of life.
What were the key features of the one child policy?
Most ethnic Chinese (Han Chinese who make up 92% of the country’s population) were to be
limited to one child per married couple.
Couples who kept to one child were awarded a ‘certificate of honour’ which entitled them to
various rewards (Higher wages, better schooling and employment, and preferential treatment in
obtaining governmental assistance (such as health care) and loans.
Couples having a second or further child were fined by having to pay a ‘social maintenance fee’
to the state. There were other sanctions such as wage cuts, employment termination, and
difficulty in obtaining governmental assistance.
Men had to be over 22 and women over 20 to have a child.
Where there any exceptions to the one child policy?
Some well-off couples have resorted to fertility treatments which produce multiple
births - there are no sanctions against this.
The policy only applies to the dominant Han Chinese who make up 92% of China’s
population - the other 56 ethnic groups are exempt.
If both parents are only children, they may legally have more children provided there is a four-year gap between births.
Additionally, if a first child was born with birth defects or major health problems,
the couple was usually permitted to have a second child.
Did the one child policy work?
Despite many criticisms and inconsistences, the policy was a success, the birth rate was lowered.
The FR has fallen from 2.74 in 1979 to 1.699 in 2021.
The Chinese government claim the policy has prevented 300 million births but external experts say 100 million is more realistic.
