What is a positive connection between population growth and health?
Growing population shows the decrease in infant mortality rates.
What is a negative connection between population growth and health?
Lack of resources for the growing population drives poor health for poor people.
Using statistics, describe the population change since the 1950s.
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.
What is the main focus of looking at population growth?
To see whether the world can sustain more people.
What are Neo-Malthusians’ views on the growing population?
- 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)
Identify a strength of Ehrlich’s (1990) argument.
The one child policy in China was influenced by the work of Ehrlich.
What is a Neo-Malthusian solution for the growing population?
Ehrlich (1968) describe that castration of men and women after having a certain number of children will reduce population size, especially in developing countries.
Give an example of where a Neo-Malthusian solution for the growing population is taking place.
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.
Identify a Dependency theorist who criticises Neo-Malthusian’s views.
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.
Identify 2 criticisms of Neo-Malthusians’ views.
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
What are Modernisation theory’s views on the growing population?
- 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
What is a Modernisation theory solution for the growing population?
Western aid with conditions attached to introduce policies such as family planning, health-education, and contraception.
Identify a criticism of Modernisation theory’s views.
Ethnocentric in their blame of the developing world and their ‘irresponsible reproduction’ within their culture.
Identify a sociologist who criticises aid as a way to reduce population.
Catley-Carlon (1994) argued that Western contraception to reduce population is a way of imposing further control over developing countries more easily.
What are Neoliberalism’s views on the growing population?
- 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
What are Neoliberal’s solutions for the growing population?
- 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
Identify a sociology who criticises Neoliberalism’s views.
Eberstadt (2000) argued that population growth isn’t because people started ‘breeding like rabbits’ but because people stopped ‘dying like flies’.
What are Dependency Theory’s views on the growing population?
- 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
Give evidence to support Mamdani’s (1996) argument.
In South America 2% of the population own 47% of land.
What are Dependency theory’s solutions for the growing population?
- 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
Identify 2 criticisms of Dependency theory’s views.
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
What are Feminism’s views on the growing population?
- 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
What are Feminism’s solutions for the growing population?
- 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’
Identify a sociology who supports Feminsm’s views.
Cohen (2008) found a 31% decrease in fertility rates in Niger among women who completed secondary education.
