POPULATION POPULATION CONTROLS:CONTROLS:

The Neo-Malthusian vs. Cornucopian Perspective

“There's no difference between having a girl or a boy — girls can also continue the family line.”

I. Factors Affecting Fertility

A. Economic Factors

1. Agrarian societies: children are assets

2. Industrial societies: children are liabilities

3. Level of development: smaller family size= higher standard of living

B. Social Factors1. “traditional” role of woman (child-bearer)

2. children to care for elderly

3. male preference

4. high infant mortality rate

5. low literacy rates

6. lack of birth control

7. Religion: Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism

C. Political factors

1. Anti-natal policies:

-China (“One-Child Policy”) & India

2. Pro-natal policies:

- China 1950-60’s- pop. implosion fears (Italy, Russia)

Natalis= Birth in Latin

II. Types of Pop. II. Types of Pop. Controls:Controls:

A. A. InvoluntaryInvoluntary::– Natural Controls:

• Hunger• Starvation• Disease

– Government Programs:• One-Child Policies (Singapore and China)• Sterilization Campaigns (P.R., Peru, Mexico,

India, Nazis)

B. B. VoluntaryVoluntary::– Birth Control– Cultural Norms– ZPG Movement

C. China’s C. China’s One-Child Policy:One-Child Policy:1. Huge pop. explosion under Mao

Zedong (“Every mouth comes with two hands”)

2. started in 1978

3. rural areas: 2 kids, urban: 1

penalty: “child excess fee”

4. Preference for male children

5. The most “successful” pop. control in human history…

Propaganda PostersPropaganda Posters

“Carry Out Family Planning Implement the Basic National Policy”

““Do a Good Job in Do a Good Job in Family Planning to Family Planning to Promote Economic Promote Economic

Development”Development”

“Why only a boy? Are these not girls?” (1993)

“For a healthy family, wait three years before your

second child. You can get these family-planningmethods from government health workers,

hospitals,and health centers for free.” (1996)

“Tying the tubes of women is now extremely simple.Laparoscopy is the newest method. The hospitalreleases you quickly. The scar is very light. Thisservice is available at hospitals and health centers.”

III. THE DEBATE:

The whole world could fit into an area the size of Delaware.The whole world could live in single family, one story houses in

Texas.

The debate is over carrying capacity…how many people are too many???

Population Doubling:

1804 – first billion 1927 – second billion1974 – third billion2000 – 6 billion

Sir Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834)

In An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798), Malthus stated:

*populations grow faster than food production

1. Population increases with subsistence

2. Checks are either private or destructive:

• War• Poverty• Pestilence• Famine

“Cornucopian” Viewpoint

- technology raises carrying capacity (s-curve)

- resources are viewed as infinite

Are you a Cornucopian or

Neo-Malthusian???

1. Is the human population the cause of environmental problems?

2. Can we some day colonize the moon or outer space?

3. Are humans parasites on the face of the Earth?

4. Are the possibilities of human ingenuity and creativity infinite?

5. When is too many too many?

Create a diagram, chart, OR web

stating choosing one side. Answer each of the questions in 2-3

bullet points