Population Policies

Population Control Policies
Published by Stephany Stanley

1. Population part vi
Population Control Policies from Around the World

2. How do Governments Affect Population
Change?
•Many governments institute policies designed to influence the overall growth rate or
ethnic ratios within the population.
These policies fall into three groups:
1. Expansive
2. Eugenic
3. Restrictive

3. Expansive Population Policies
•Encourage families to have more children
•Communist Societies
•Soviet Union
•China – Mao Zedong
Current Examples
•European Examples-
•Sweden-Cash payments, tax incentives, job leave, work hour flexibility lasting up to 8 years after birth
•Russia-National Day of Conception (Sept. 12)
•Romania-anyone, married or single, who was childless after the age of 25 was subject to a tax of 10-20% of
income. For people who did have children, there were family allowances paid by the government and cash
awards to women having their third child . 1980s: all women of childbearing age — even pubescent girls —
were subject to monthly pelvic exams to detect pregnancies and ensure all of them were carried to term. 
•Asian Examples-
•South Korea-Family Day-third Thursday of every month
•Singapore-National Night to get “Patriotic”

4. Eugenic Population Policies
•Favoring one racial or cultural sector of the population over the others
•Tax discrimination, allocation of resources, favoritism
•Examples
•Nazi Germany
•Japan
•USA-human race could be improved by breeding people with desirable traits,
immigration policies on “undesirables” (Asian and Southern European); sterilizing
undesirable Americans (mental defectives)-1970s; new view of eugenics-planned
parenthood

5. Restrictive Population Policies
•Reducing the rate of natural increase through a range of means
Examples
1) China’s “One-child” policy:
For those who follow-Income bonuses, Better health care benefits, Better retirement
pensions, Priority in housing
For those who don’t-get abortions for unauthorized pregnancies, forced sterilization
2) India-some areas of high CBR/fertility are paying couples 5000 rupees ($106)
3) Uzbekistan-forced sterilizations after 2nd child, doctors were forced to do it and did
so without woman’s knowledge
4) Pakistan-child spacing (3 years, Koran calls for 24 months of breast feeding
5) U.S.-Title X-US health centers fund contraceptives

6. Solutions to Population Growth
•Empowerment of Women
•$ for contraception & education
•Changing cultural norms to value girls
•Diffusion of Birth Control Policies
•Educating men
w/ responsibility
for birth control
•Sterilization

7. Solutions to Population Growth
•Redistribution of wealth - improve standard of living for poor so
that children aren’t as necessary
•Improving farming techniques in poor areas to deal with starvation,
malnourishment

8. Solutions to Population Growth
•Medical technology – costs of maintaining
vulnerable populations (old & young)
•Addressing government policies to deal with their growing populations

9. Something to think about…
•Is population control funded by MDCs ethical in
LDCs?
•Population control v. culture
•Birth control?
•Sterilization?
•Abortion?
•Sex determination?
•Incentives: Money, food, clothing?
•Is population control funded by MDCs needed to
keep mass amounts of people in the LDCs out of
poverty?

10. Something to think about…
•Is population control funded by MDCs ethical in
LDCs?
•Population control v. culture
•Birth control?
•Sterilization?
•Abortion?
•Sex determination?
•Incentives: Money, food, clothing?
•Is population control funded by MDCs needed to
keep mass amounts of people in the LDCs out of
poverty?