Population

Question 1

What is a positive connection between population growth and health?

Answer 1

Growing population shows the decrease in infant mortality rates.

Question 2

What is a negative connection between population growth and health?

Answer 2

Lack of resources for the growing population drives poor health for poor people.

Question 3

Using statistics, describe the population change since the 1950s.

Answer 3

There has been an increase to 7 billion from 2.5 billion in the 1950s. This ‘boom’ in population will continue to grow to 9 billion in 2050, according to the UN.

Question 4

What is the main focus of looking at population growth?

Answer 4

To see whether the world can sustain more people.

Question 5

What are Neo-Malthusians’ views on the growing population?

Answer 5

• Pessimist
• Malthus (1798) suggested that population grows geometrically (2,4,6,8) whereas food supplies grow arithmetically (2,3,4,5) therefore population will outgrow resources
• Malthus (1798) further stated that these lack of resources will lead to natural checks on the population with survival of the fittest (e.g. dying from famine)
• Ehrlich (1968) suggests that the population ‘bomb’ is caused by high birth rates in developing countries and so is responsible for their problems (e.g. poverty, and environmental degradation)

Question 6

Identify a strength of Ehrlich’s (1990) argument.

Answer 6

The one child policy in China was influenced by the work of Ehrlich.

Question 7

What is a Neo-Malthusian solution for the growing population?

Answer 7

Ehrlich (1968) describe that castration of men and women after having a certain number of children will reduce population size, especially in developing countries.

Question 8

Give an example of where a Neo-Malthusian solution for the growing population is taking place.

Answer 8

In India, 1% of the population needs to be sterilised each year and are given incentives (e.g. prize draw for a phone) to persuade them.

Question 9

Identify a Dependency theorist who criticises Neo-Malthusian’s views.

Answer 9

Adamson (1986) argues that context of having children in developing countries must be taken into account as they are both an economic asset in the third world and mortality rates are higher so families reproduce in fear of their children dying too soon.

Question 10

Identify 2 criticisms of Neo-Malthusians’ views.

Answer 10

1) There is no science behind Malthus’s (1798) claim and so data is unreliable
2) Technological changes in food production means that has led to production being faster than population growth

Question 11

What are Modernisation theory’s views on the growing population?

Answer 11

• Pessimist
• Growing population cannot be sustained by global resources
• Harrison (1990) argues that it is the nature of a patriarchal society that prevents progress in the form of family planning and is particularly critical towards Catholicism and their limited use of contraception

Question 12

What is a Modernisation theory solution for the growing population?

Answer 12

Western aid with conditions attached to introduce policies such as family planning, health-education, and contraception.

Question 13

Identify a criticism of Modernisation theory’s views.

Answer 13

Ethnocentric in their blame of the developing world and their ‘irresponsible reproduction’ within their culture.

Question 14

Identify a sociologist who criticises aid as a way to reduce population.

Answer 14

Catley-Carlon (1994) argued that Western contraception to reduce population is a way of imposing further control over developing countries more easily.

Question 15

What are Neoliberalism’s views on the growing population?

Answer 15

• Pessimist
• Low status of women is an obstacle to development due to them not being allowed to access education or employment
• In many of these patriarchal societies women are denied reproductive rights
• Women being economically dependent on men means they cannot exercise choice as Western women do to contribute to the economy with employment

Question 16

What are Neoliberal’s solutions for the growing population?

Answer 16

• Encouraging female education in order to increase their status and choice
• They may then enter the workplace to contribute to the economy of the country to further its development
• Population stability will be due to being less likely to get married and pregnant earlier

Question 17

Identify a sociology who criticises Neoliberalism’s views.

Answer 17

Eberstadt (2000) argued that population growth isn’t because people started ‘breeding like rabbits’ but because people stopped ‘dying like flies’.

Question 18

What are Dependency Theory’s views on the growing population?

Answer 18

• Optimist
• Boserup argued that population growth is an incentive to development as food resources have kept pace with growth stimulated by demand
• Mamdani (2004) points to the neglect of attention to economic inequalities in Satellites (e.g. access to land, often taken up by TNCs) with these issues being a result of local elites benefiting from colonial past
• There is an unequal distribution of resources demonstrated in a high ecological footprint of the USA with 6% of their population consuming 40% of the worlds resources therefore it is just the fault of LDCs

Question 19

Give evidence to support Mamdani’s (1996) argument.

Answer 19

In South America 2% of the population own 47% of land.

Question 20

What are Dependency theory’s solutions for the growing population?

Answer 20

• Poverty must be tackled before birth control to allow reassurance that infant mortality rates are lower with the affirmation their children won’t die due to things like starvation
• A more equal redistribution of resources

Question 21

Identify 2 criticisms of Dependency theory’s views.

Answer 21

1) They assume all Satellites share the same characteristics and inequalities
2) Unable to explain how some post-colonial Satellites resist Metropolises and their Western culture, creating their own

Question 22

What are Feminism’s views on the growing population?

Answer 22

• Optimist
• Jon Bennett rejects the notion of compromising women’s rights with forced contraception as believes they should have the choice not the Government but acknowledges they are key to reproduction
• The patriarchal society of these countries hinder women’s choices with high fertility rates being due to men’s decisions
• Every day 47,700 girls are married before 18 with more than half of the world’s 60 million 10 year old girls living in the 48 countries with the worst gender inequality
• ‘Son preference’ is common in developing countries as they provide more income for family units than women which causes high fertility rates to ensure they get sons

Question 23

What are Feminism’s solutions for the growing population?

Answer 23

• Ensuring girls stay in school longer is the best form of contraception as they may gain qualifications that were previously unavailable to them so that they stay out of marriage longer to reduce fertility rates and become an economic asset for development
• Cultural change in the patriarchal society allowing women more reproductive choice to reduce ‘son preference’

Question 24

Identify a sociology who supports Feminsm’s views.

Answer 24

Cohen (2008) found a 31% decrease in fertility rates in Niger among women who completed secondary education.

Question 25

Identify 2 criticisms of Feminism’s views.

Answer 25

1) 80:20 Unequal Development (2006) argue that through increasing women’s choice they may decide to have more children than the current average of 2 per family
2) It is also difficult to ensure every girl in every developing country stays in secondary education on such a large scale, especially if it involves a change in culture that some countries will reject

Question 26

What conclusion can be drawn from population growth and its impact on the development of LDCs?

Answer 26

Both pessimist and optimist theories agree that development can be achieved through stable population growth however pessimists argue the solution is controlling fertility of the third world and optimists argue that it should be done through challenging the patriarchy, poverty and redistribution of resources. Therefore these contrasting methods may cause opposing policies that can disrupt development of LDCs altogether.