Many, many factors

There are many factors related to the birthrates and deathrates of many countries' populations. As Joanne had explained before about the factors, I will go more in depth about them so that everyone can understand better. The FIRST FACTOR is Lack Of Education. In developing countries like Africa and China, many people lack education. Because of this, many things happen that results in the increase of birthrate:
Lack of family planning skills and knowledge
-moreover, unaware about Sexual Transmitted Diseases like HIV/Aids
-not using contraceptives such as condoms and birthcontrol pills
-cannot control pregnancies
Not skilled, hence unable to hold proper jobs
-women do not have careers and stays at home only to cook, clean and sew
Early marriage
-many young women, like when they reach the age of 15-17, they marry. This is due to the fertility of younger women, more babies could be produced from younger women basically

SECOND FACTOR IS ABOUT TRADITIONS:
In less developed countries, farmers are common occupations throughout the country
-hence, farmers need a lot of manpower as plowing the field along with other works needs lots of labour (encourages high birthrate in the family)
Many still have preference for sons in the family (Gender discrimination)
-therefore, many family give birth to many children just to have a family heir

Next, deathrate is also high in less developed countries:
-they have lack of access to medical facilities:
1. they cannot afford for the medical treatment
2. some people in less developed countries do not have education, hence unaware of the consequences of the diseases in their bodies
3. medical infrastructure such as hospitals and clinics are limited in countries like Africa
4. medicines and vaccinations are limited in the medical industry

-lack of hygeine
1. no proper sewage disposal (bacteria that pollutes the water that they drink and infects their wounds)
2. poor sanitation (toilets)

-Malnutrition
-some people in less developed countries just have enough food to fill their stomach but the food is not nutritious enough (weak immunity)

For the developed countries, all the factors are towards the contrary.

One-child policy in China

China has held the one-child policy for more than 30 years, and now some traditional parts of China still holds this custom. However, as years pass, the number of families planning for 2 children in the family starts increasing...An article is shared below about this topic though.


http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/01/the-writing-on-the-wall.html

(editted) Other than this, I just realised there were other problems too. China is now developing, hence, the rapid increase in population. However, I fear that when she becomes a developed country, its population not only starts aging, there will also be the problem where the girl-to-boy ratio has a really big difference. This is because many traditional families believe that only giving birth to a boy could help them carry on their family tradition, culture, heritage and family line. Therefore, when some families give birth to girls or know that they about to give birth to a female, they might go abort it or the baby girls will be given to someone else or killed. This is the main reason why many cannot set families today in China is because families are too conceited about carrying their family line that they have neglected the future. The girls are getting lesser and lesser while the population of the boys keeps increasing even though China is now encouraging people to give birth to girls as well. If only China had a 2 child policy, then each family could have one boy and one girl, making it only fair. This, I think, is also the lack of planning in the government state as they never thought about future consequences that may occur like this.
Now, Singapore is also facing an aging population as what we call a silver tsunami because many educated people now would like to go and venture into their careers instead. Moreover, Singapore's government has somewhat urged singaporeans to give birth lesser children to stop the overcrowding population. But now, Singapore's goverment is urging us to give birth to more babies to increase the population of Singaporeans. I think that is an area I feel strongly about...
Chrystal

Population

It is great to be back in Geography class, isn't it?

As Ms J 'promised', we have a question every lesson. Today's question is, 'What makes birth rate high? What makes birth rate low?' I typed in the search box the exact same question (the first question, that is), and I got some interesting answers. :)

(found from answers. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Factors_that_contribute_to_high_birth-rates)

1) Lack of knowledge of birth control/ family planning

• Lack of contraceptives
• Low or no education
• Lack of government policies that encourage small families (poor government)

What are contraceptives? Here is the definition from Dictionary.com, tending or serving to prevent conception or impregnation.

No education. What has it got to do with birth rate? One example would be that there is a lack of education on safe sex and thus this occurs.

These points remind me of China's one child policy, especially the last one, lack of government policies that encourage small families. Of course, it has appeared in the papers time and again about this famous policy and yet it does not seem to stop the problem. Is it because there are some parts of China that the law cannot reach?

2) Traditions and belief

• Some religions believe in the importance of large families
• Women's job to give birth
• There are more family oriented women and less career-minded women who marry early and thus increasing their child-bearing years.
• People believe in the importance of having a son to carry their family lineage. So couples that have daughters tend keep trying until they have a son.

The religions include Natalism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

How does a changing population affect the world?

With regards to this question that Miss J had asked, I would like to share an article with every one. Its below:

How does population affect climate change?20

by Lisa Hymas


Population growth obviously has an impact on climate change, but there's been little rigorous study of exactly what that impact is. New research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences begins to fill that gap.
The top-level takeaway: "[S]lowing population growth could provide 16 to 29 percent of the emissions reductions suggested to be necessary by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change," write Brian C. O'Neill et al in "Global demographic trends and future carbon emissions."
You could guess this part: The population of the U.S. has outsized impact on the climate. Slowing the growth in the number of Americans could have a "pronounced effect" because of the nation's high per capita emissions.
You might not guess this part: It's not just about total numbers of people and the wealth of those people. Aging and urbanization are big factors.
Aging of a populace can bring emissions down by as much as 20 percent because older people tend to leave the workforce and don't contribute as much to economic growth.
Urbanization, on the other hand, can push emissions up by more than 25 percent, particularly in developing countries, because "urbanization tends to increase economic growth." This trend is strong enough even to outweigh the energy-efficiency benefits of city living.
So should we all move "back to the land"? No. The authors don't advocate policies to reverse urbanization.
You've heard this before: Instead, they suggest meeting the "substantial unmet need for family planning and reproductive health services" -- not just in developing countries but in the U.S. (Think the U.S. doesn't have unmet need? Think again.) "Policies that meet [unmet] need would reduce current fertility by about 0.2 births per woman in the United States and 0.6-0.7 births per woman in the developing world."

I hope you ace guys could comment on this post...