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Lesson 1 - Where in the world is the human population changing?
Lesson 2 - How is population change linked to economic development?
Lesson 3 - How does the social status and education of women affect a country's population?
Lesson 4 - How can countries work together to solve problems related to population and resources?
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Lesson 3 - Page 3 - How are countries attempting to improve the status of women?Evidence shows that efforts to lower birth rates may depend on improving the status of women. Part of the Cairo Programme of Action, developed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, calls for universal access to education, employment opportunities for women, and an end to discrimination against women. Experiences in some countries have shown that fertility patterns can change in as little as a decade, and that voluntary policies and programs can be highly effective in encouraging the change. Consider the case of Kerala once again. Like most of India, Kerala is primarily rural and agricultural, and residents have low incomes. However, women in Kerala have fewer children than do women in other parts of India. Why are the women in Kerala different? As the Kerala activity shows, literacy rates among women in Kerala have risen during the past two decades, and today 85 percent of women in Kerala are literate. The government in Kerala has assigned a high priority to ensuring that all residents have access to education. But high literacy rates and good maternal health are only two indicators of the higher status women in Kerala have enjoyed for a long time. In traditional Keralese culture, women can inherit land and wield some political power - a sharp contrast with other parts of India. There are also some economic differences. For example, in most of India girls are considered a drain on family finances because their parents must pay a dowry to marry them off. In Kerala, girls are considered an asset because they bring their families a brideprice, a form of financial support paid by the in-law relatives of the child. The Population Reference Bureau, based in Washington, DC, recently interviewed Margaret Greene, a scholar at nearby George Washington University who studies gender and global health. Read the interview and note how reproductive health programs are paying more attention to gender and women's issues.
SummaryIn this lesson, your team learned of the need to consider how population and fertility patterns are influenced by the social, economic, and cultural circumstances of women in society and of individual women in different societies. Because these factors help determine the number and timing of births, women's choices (or lack thereof) regarding childbirth directly affect population growth. In Lesson 4, your team will conclude the module by studying the environmental and economic challenges facing three countries with growing populations in Southwest Asia. Using a variety of data, your team will analyze the environmental, economic, and population characteristics of the Tigris-Euphrates region, and use this information to negotiate strategies for conserving and distributing scarce water resources to meet the needs of the regional population. Review of Materials DueBefore your team proceeds to the next lesson, each local group should:
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