Article: Population, Poverty, and the Local Environment
Author: Partha S. Dasgupta
Massive population growth is a big problem right now, particularly in developing countries. Women usually have a high total fertility rate, which is the average number of babies a women has if she survives her childbearing years. In sub-Saharan Africa, that number is between 6 and 8. Couples in those developing countries produce more children since they need as many hands as they can to help the family out; they collect water, feed livestock. Kids as young as 6 care for their younger siblings, fetch water, and collect firewood. Children between the ages of 10 and 15 work as much as one and a half times as grown men do. In addition, women are sadly generally less educated, limiting their ability to make decisions, which can promote population growth.
I think we can fix this problem if we reduce poverty. If we can get people in less developed countries cleaner, more accessible water and other things that would make their lives easier, they would feel less inclined to have so many children since they wouldn't need as many hands to help out the family. Also, education would greatly improve the population growth problem too. If we taught people the real cost of a child and how "expensive" they really are, then they'd also want to bore less children. There's a lot of simple ways that we can stop the population from rapidly increasing then collapsing, they don't cost much, but in the long run, they can be extremely beneficial. In addition, if we educated women, that would be the start of a whole revolution that could decrease the fertility rate. They'd be able to care for themselves, and wouldn't have to rely on a man for their well-being. As Malala Yousafzai said, "I believe there is no difference between a man and a woman. I even believe that a woman is more powerful than men."
Author: Partha S. Dasgupta
- People have different opinions on population growth: some think it's the result of poverty and environment degradation
- In poor households, men and boys usually get more sustenance than women and girls, and the elderly get less than the poor
- Total fertility rate= number of babies a woman would have if she survived through her childbearing years
- In sub-Saharan Africa, the total fertility rate is between 6 and 8
- If a woman's life expectancy is 50 and the fertility rate is 7, then she spends half of her adult life either carrying a baby in her womb or breastfeeding the baby
- High fertility, high rates of illiteracy, low share of paid employment, and high % of working at home with no pay are all connected
- Lack of education= limits a woman's ability to make decisions= promotes population growth
- An increase in women education/literacy would trigger a process to decrease the fertility rate
- Children in under developed countries need to help their families to survive; they collect water, feed livestock, etc
Massive population growth is a big problem right now, particularly in developing countries. Women usually have a high total fertility rate, which is the average number of babies a women has if she survives her childbearing years. In sub-Saharan Africa, that number is between 6 and 8. Couples in those developing countries produce more children since they need as many hands as they can to help the family out; they collect water, feed livestock. Kids as young as 6 care for their younger siblings, fetch water, and collect firewood. Children between the ages of 10 and 15 work as much as one and a half times as grown men do. In addition, women are sadly generally less educated, limiting their ability to make decisions, which can promote population growth.
I think we can fix this problem if we reduce poverty. If we can get people in less developed countries cleaner, more accessible water and other things that would make their lives easier, they would feel less inclined to have so many children since they wouldn't need as many hands to help out the family. Also, education would greatly improve the population growth problem too. If we taught people the real cost of a child and how "expensive" they really are, then they'd also want to bore less children. There's a lot of simple ways that we can stop the population from rapidly increasing then collapsing, they don't cost much, but in the long run, they can be extremely beneficial. In addition, if we educated women, that would be the start of a whole revolution that could decrease the fertility rate. They'd be able to care for themselves, and wouldn't have to rely on a man for their well-being. As Malala Yousafzai said, "I believe there is no difference between a man and a woman. I even believe that a woman is more powerful than men."