Population Policy – Progress Since Cairo

A lesson plan from “Making Population Real” by the Population Reference Bureau

Supported by the World Population Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation

Today’s Agenda

1. Introduce objectives and teaching standards

2. Review 1994 Cairo - International Conf. on Population and Development

3. Discuss women and development

4. Assess the effectiveness of a indexing in population studies

5. Introduce Making Population Real and PRB

Making Population Real – Lesson Plan 5:

Population PolicyIssues International population policy

Impacting development and population growth

Gender and development

Population Concepts

Relation between population and development policy

Women’s empowerment

Tools Gender analysis Human Development Index (i.e. a

composite of data) Data tables

Objectives

To survey the evolution of population policies To assess the presence of gender-bias in

development statistics To evaluate the nexus of women, development,

and population policy

Teaching Standards

AP Geography Standard Addressed,

Unit II– Population Unit:

B. Population growth and decline over time and space

5. Effects of population policies

AP and the Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board which was not involved in the production of these lesson plans.

1994 Cairo Conference

Official name: International Conference on Population and Development

Turned away from population control, the focus of earlier conferences

A new focus on social development, especially advancement of women, for slowing population growth

Far larger and more inclusive, as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) participated substantially

How Much Difference Does Lower Fertility Rates Make?

Social Development

Why does it make sense to think of women as a

separate group when considering population and

development policy?

Empowerment of Women Access to & control over private assets & resources Access to public resources Control over their labor & income Control over their bodies Control over physical mobility Access to & control over political spaces Access to & control over intangible resources: information,

influence, etc. Position in law & access to legal structures & redress.

Women’s Rights and Status: Questions of Analysis and Measurement, Anita Gurumurthy (May 1998)

Human Development

Index

Human Development Index

A composite measure of: Income: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

per capita Education: adult literacy + school

enrollment ratio Well-being: life expectancy at birth

Planning for All People?

Human Development Index - composite of aggregate data

Aggregate data: Represents all people in a population Can disguise disparities in social conditions

Example: Adult literacy in Turkey (2002) Aggregate: 85 percent Males: 94 percent Females: 78 percent

What might you miss if you use aggregate data?

Gender Assessment

How effective are indexes such as the Human Development Index?

Assignment: Chart and consider data on African nations with regard

to bias

Handouts: Evaluating the Status of Women and Children in Africa;

One per group The Data Collection Sheets; Four copies per group Human Development Report Data Table; One or two per

group

Human Development Report Data Table

Data Collection Sheet

Discussion

How do these African countries compare with all developing countries?

How do these new indices compare to each other and the HDI?

What are the benefits of an index? What are some weaknesses?

Making Population Real - Module 5:

Population PolicyActivities:1. The Cairo Conference–Population Policy and

Development: Discuss issues from 1994 Cairo Conference

(i.e. Population and development are related).

2. Development Policy–Planning for All People? Chart indicators of economic well-being Compare aggregate data to data broken down by

gender & age

Making Population Real Lesson Plans Population Fundamentals – Building a Foundation

Populations in the Path of Natural Hazards

The Demographic Transition –

A Contemporary Look at a Classic Model

HIV/AIDS and Contemporary Population Dynamics

Population Policy – Progress Since Cairo

People on the Move

Global Migration Patterns

About Making Population Real

Free, on-line curricula utilize up-to-date real-world data and articles from a variety of web-based resources:

United Nations (UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, etc.) U.S. Census Bureau National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration PRB research and publications

Lead author Martha B. Sharma, a teacher Recipient of the 2006 Geographic Excellence in

Media Award from National Council for Geographic Education

www.prb.org/educators

Population Reference Bureau

Informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations.

Analyzes demographic data and research to provide objective, accurate, and up-to-date population information in a format that is easily understood by educators, journalists, and decision makers alike.