Fertility refers to the number of children a woman has on average during the years she can reproduce. Social stability is where there's social solidarity between the people and they work together to make society better. The reduction in the fertility as a population control policy is necessary to maintain social stability. However there are other policies that are necessary when it comes to maintaining social stability. The fertility rate is one of the main contributors to a population's size and growth. In 2013 the world population reached 7.2 billion people and according to the medium variant, the projected figure for 2050 is 9.6 billion persons. Most of the growth is projected to come from developing countries, the category which most of the islands in Caribbean fall into. The world's population in 2050 would be substantially higher if the decline in fertility projected fails to be realized. If fertility were to remain constant at current levels in all countries, world population would increase significantly, reaching 11.1 billion by 2050. Hence reduction in fertility should be made a policy and also be taken seriously. The Caribbean country, Jamaica has put a policy in place which includes having a higher Contraceptive Prevalence Rate. Thomas Malthus stated that one day, due to rapid growth of the population, the food supply would be exhausted. If such a policy is not implemented, this may come to pass. However it cannot be said for sure that fertility rates would decrease, other policies should be put in place if Malthus' prediction is not to come to pass. One policy that can be paid closer attention to is a Food Security. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their daily needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Therefore making sure that there is always a food supply may involve an active and stable agricultural sector, especially in developing countries. Despite all the good that may arise from a fertility policy, there are also disadvantages. If there is a reduction in fertlity, then birth rates will fall. As a result of this family sizes may shrink and therefore populations will either grow very slowly or will begin to decease. This affects the size of the ageing population in a society. This can affect the social stability because there are certain functions within a society that cannot be fulfilled by the elderly in society. Thus due to a shrinking able bodied workforce, productivity and profitability can be affected and in a negative way. At the same time the growing of the ageing population threatens the stability of pension and insurance systems. As household sizes get smaller, the ability to care for the elderly weakens. Therefore elderly people are now dealing with healthcare needs and costs which they may not be able to provide for themselves, due to certain disabilities, whether it be physical or social. These can pose significant barriers to the societal achievement of goals of economic growth or social cohesion. Another policy that can be focused on to maintain social stability is migration policies. This includes both external and internal migration. Migration can be a tool that regulates a population. External migration can help to reduce unemployment, ensure the availability of skilled manpower, and increase the return flow of skills and resources to meet the development needs of the country. The level of emigration is an important check on population growth. Also internal migration is to achieve and ensure a balance between the spacial distribution of the population and that of development which may include investment programmes and projects. It is also necessary to ensure that the spread of population and resources is such as to minimize the adverse effects on the environment. In conclusion reduction in fertility can be introduced as a policy to ensure social control but it has its disadvantages. However other policies such as contraceptive provision, food security policies and migration policies can aid in achieving social control.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Fertility is the ability to conceive children. Throughout the existence of humanity, fertility is what created populations of both animals and humans. Fertility rate is “the number of live births per 1,000 female population aged 15 to 49 years”(eLearning, Fertility and Fecundity). Different countries have different fertility rates, which can be caused by different cultural beliefs, living conditions, wealth, etc. Fertility rates have an effect on many things such as the economy, politics, and culture. Within a country, fertility rates often differ the most between rural and urban areas. Japan, a country in Asia, has a fertility rate lower than the country’s death rate along with a low immigration rate, which is causing a decrease in the population.…
- 987 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The first solution to feeding a growing population is to teach about food security. Food Security is, “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.”. By 2100, the world population is predicted to be up to 11 billion people. Food Security is built on food availability, food access, and food use. Most people would assume that higher the population, the higher the amount of food produced, but if the population rises, the amount of food produced will drop. In the U.S alone we…
- 607 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Population Bomb a theory developed by Paul Ehrlich in the 1960’s predicted that in less than two decades the overpopulation of the world would not be able to sustain itself leading to mass starvation and deaths. To achieve a more balanced carrying capacity he argued that population control at the family level would be necessary for society to continue to function. This type of thinking led to the implementation of population control programs, such as female sterilization that was forced upon women in undeveloped countries. Its 2016 and Ehrlich’s prediction did not come true still, continued global population growth along with increasing global climate change has once again ignited the debate on advocacy for population control.…
- 498 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Global Fertility Rates: The number of children a woman is expected to have in a lifetime. (University of Michigan, Global Exchange Program, Professor Ben Van Der Pluijm)…
- 757 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
As the world economy weakens, resources continue to become limited and the interdependence among countries increase, different countries have been introducing new policies which seek to control the rate at which the human population is growing. Most of these policies have been geared towards controlling the number of children a single family should have. The main aim of these policies has been to relief the environment and the resources within it some stresses of over exploitation. However while countries like China have been doing this for a long period now, many people see it as an interference with the…
- 1094 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
2.Think of three social factors that contribute to lower birth rates in the countries farther along. How might these social conditions be encouraged to emerge in less developed countries?…
- 1325 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
What is striking about the global decline in fertility rates is that they are not confined to the developed world. While virtually the entire developed world has fertility rates that are at or below replacement levels, this accounts for less than 20% of the world’s population. The vast majority of countries with sub-replacement fertility rates are in low-income countries such as China. This lack of socioeconomic correlation with fertility rates makes it difficult to predict when a country will enter such a state and how long it will last. This lack of socioeconomic correlation may be due to the developed world’s intervention in low-income and third world nations, both culturally and in the subsidized distribution of birth-control, abortifacients, and abortion services. A shrinking population due to reduced fertility rates invariably means an aging population. These two factors adumbrate a host of problems. An older workforce generally means a less healthy, less educated, and less tech-savvy workforce. Additionally, a dwindling working age population will mean that inefficiencies in…
- 2952 Words
- 12 Pages
Best Essays -
Like in every household, there’s the head of the family that guides and maintains stability in the family, looks after the food , clothing, shelter ..etc, the same way, governments look after their countries to maintain political, social and economic stability, but all of this depends on how healthy the population is, be it a developing or a developed country. One such aspect that has taken a serious toll in many countries , is the population’s growth. In this paper, what will be discussed is why do governments interfere with the population 's fertility and what do the governments do in order to reach their set goal.…
- 1604 Words
- 7 Pages
Best Essays -
Malthus correctly reasons that food is a limiting factor of any population, though his predictions are largely arbitrary and based upon what was known at the time. For example, Malthus believes that “it is impossible to suppose that the produce could be quadrupled” within twenty-five years. He goes on to state his belief that the increase in production is a linear growth, arguing that “the very utmost we can conceive of, is, that the increase in the second twenty-five years might equal the present produce” (Malthus 74). In this prediction, Malthus demonstrates his lack of foresight into the technological advancements that would result from the Industrial Revolution, although this incorrect estimate is not entirely unreasonable given the unprecedented nature of the societal shift. Conversely, Malthus does present a logical analysis of the inner workings of a society undergoing large population growth.…
- 1815 Words
- 8 Pages
Better Essays -
Over the decades of population growth, the world population already reached to billions in the 21st century. Poverty is one of the main causes of the rapid population growth. We also have to face the worst impacts of overpopulation on the environment, economics and human health. We need to clearly understand what the present situation is. We should try our best to find solutions by considering the causes and effects of overpopulation. If we cannot find common ground on how to move forward sustainably and ethically, we may see the exhaustion of natural resources and the destabilisation of our economy and society. I recommend family planning…
- 2286 Words
- 10 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Geographic area: Bangladesh Health condition: in the mid-970s, a Bangladeshi woman had more than six children on average. in combination with poor nutrition and lack of access to quality health services, this high fertility rate jeopardized the health of both the woman and her children. Beyond the health impact, high fertility and rapid population growth represented a major constraint to the country’s economic development and social progress. Global importance of the health condition today: More than 50 million women in the developing world who would like to limit or space their pregnancies do not currently use a contraceptive method. so, for example, about 6 percent of married women in india have this “unmet need.” in sub-saharan africa, where services are in relatively short supply, the unmet need is the greatest. Intervention or program: the Bangladesh family planning program has depended on a large cadre of female outreach workers going door to door to provide information, motivate clients, and provide commodities; the program has used mass media to stimulate a change in attitudes about family size. the program both contributed to and benefited from improvements in women’s status in Bangladesh during the past 30 years. Cost and cost-effectiveness: the program is estimated to cost about $00 million to $50 million per year, with about one half to two thirds of the funding coming from external donors. cost-effectiveness has been estimated at about $3 to $8 per birth averted, a standard measure for family planning programs. Impact: as a result of the program, virtually all women in Bangladesh are aware of modern family planning methods. the current use of contraceptives among married women increased from 8 percent in the mid-970s to about 60 percent in 2004, and fertility decreased from an average of more than six children per woman in 975 to slightly more than three. although social and economic improvements…
- 4606 Words
- 19 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Malthus's "law" of population held that population growth will inevitably outstrip food production, leading to natural calamities, such as famines, plagues, and wars …
- 695 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In simple words, human population can increase at a faster rate than the food supply. Agriculture has diminishing returns. Therefore, in a productive process, as the agrarian, where is needed to add more of one factor of production, at some point yield lower per-unit returns, whereas, population has an exponential growth. This situation leads to future where humans would reach the situation where the food sources could not support everyone. The lack of food causes hunger, disease and war. This were, for Malthus, the positive checks. Methods that raise the death rate. To avoid such a catastrophe, Malthus urged some controls on population growth before reaching the food shortage. He called them: Preventative checks.…
- 834 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
"There has been an unprecedented decline in childbearing in the Untied States over the last decade and a half. This change has been attributed to a number of factors, such as later marriage, fewer marriages, higher levels of female employment and education, and most remarkably, an apparent increase in voluntary childlessness" (Silka and Kiesler: 1). "The voluntary childless are those who do not have children, expect none, and have no known biological impediment to childbearing, or have been sterilized for contraceptive reasons" (Abma and Peterson 1995). These individuals have many personal, economic, and monetary reasons for a childless marriage and the majority of these women fit into one of four categories; practical, hedonists, idealistic, and emotional. Although, these couples vary in their reasons for not wanting children they have carefully examined the pros and cons of a childless family and made their choices accordingly.…
- 1524 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
* Availability of immunizations, antibiotics, clean water and increased food production yielded tremendous improvements in infant and child mortality rates…
- 8642 Words
- 35 Pages
Powerful Essays