Factors for b/r

In this section, you will learn about: 

• Factors impacting increase in birth rate

• Factors impacting decrease in birth rate

• Contraceptives

• • • Increase

      • • Birth control pills reduce unwanted pregnancies

        • Birth rate decreases

        • When abortion is legalised, unwanted pregnancies decrease

        • Sterilisation, vasectomy

    • Counterargument

      • • May not be affordable

        • Not always effective

        • Accessibility in rural areas

        • Religion (Pro-life) - especially Roman Catholics

        • Misinformation/Myths about contraceptives

• Female education

  • • Decrease

      • • Female education will continue to improve

        • More females are educated, and stay longer in school (PhD)

        • More females focus on careers, delaying marriage. Reproductive years decrease

        • Birth rate decreases

        • Literacy rate is 99% for females in Switzerland

        • Most females in Switz receive a basic education

        • Birth rate is 1.46 births per woman

        • 48% female literacy rate in Pakistan, 3.56 births per woman

    • Counterargument

      • • Strong social norms for women as caregivers

• Govt. Policies

  • • Increase/Decrease

      • • Governments met out incentives/penalties with policies

        • Couples try to follow policy to reap benefits/ avoid penalties

        • One Child Policy in China, 1980

        • Government employees and civil servants would be fired if they had more than one child and pay a fine / an annual tax

        • If couples did not pay the fine, their child would not be registered

        • Incentives include a 10% salary bonus

        • Contraceptives such as sterilization and abortion readily available

        • b/r decrease from 2.74 births per women to 1.77 births per woman

    • Counterargument

      • • Two Child Policy in China: failed policy - difficult to get people to voluntarily increase birth rates as new social norms of having fewer children have already settled in

        • Difficult to enforce in rural areas

        • Implemented strictly by government only

• High cost of living

  • • Decrease

      • • People living in Developed Countries gain affluence

        • High aspirations for children

        • Large cost to raise a child, smaller families, prizing quality over quantity

        • Raising a child in Singapore costs at least $340,000

        • Tuition in Singapore is also expensive

    • Counterargument

      • • Presence of generous govt. subsidies

        • Love for children

        • Family pressure to have sons

        • Religion (Pro-family)

        • Countries like Pakistan encourage emigration and foreigners end up giving birth there, BR increase

        • Examples: Singapore birth rate is 1.05 BPW, Afghanistan 4.75BPW

• Culture

  • • Increase

      • • LDCs, children are needed to help out, agricultural means, help them in farm work, increase BRs

        • Economic benefit of more sons => Take care of parents

        • Religion (Pro-life) => such as Catholics who frown upon the use of artificial means of birth control

        • Generally, men are accorded higher levels of respect and regarded as more important as they are breadwinners of the family and carry on the family line - so when they have daughters, they try again for sons

        • Moreover, there are some cultures in which there are roles only males can perform (eg India, sons are traditionally required to light funeral pyres

        • Lastly, in some cultures children are a symbol of wealth (only wealthy people have the means to raise a large family) - where these beliefs prevail, the birth rates naturally tend to be high in these areas

    • Counterargument

      • • Mechanisation

        • Urbanisation and industrialisation which may cause a change in social norms (China)

• Healthcare

  • • Increase

      • • Bad healthcare -=> Infant mortality high

        • Children die before adulthood due to poor healthcare

        • Ensure several live to adulthood

        • Africa b/r 4.155 per woman

        • Ensure some children can move to adulthood

    • Decrease

      • • Good and accessible healthcare

        • Higher doctor to patient ratio

        • DCs: Can afford medical help as they are more affluent

        • Infant mortality low

        • No need to have more children, as most will live to adulthood

        • New Zealand is top 20 healthcare systems

        • b/r of 1.61 births per woman

        •  they are also able to afford vitamins and supplements

        •  to boost their immunity and live longer

        •  they are also more aware of the value of exercise

        •  hence they are better able to manage chronic illnesses

    • Counterargument (Decrease)

      • • Love for children

        • Rural areas => Children as source of labour