ANTI-NATAL V. PRO-NATAL

WG 3.2 EQ: Analyze population issues and policies, including pro-natal and anti-natal

policies of different countries and their effects on population characteristics.

Different Policies

Anti-natal – preventing or outlawing families from having more than one child through taxing

Pro-natal – encouraging families to have more children to boost population birth rates.

Infanticide – although highly unethical and illegal, it is the practice of killing children that are unwanted by families. This occurred in Ancient Greece and more recently China and some third world countries.

Germany’s Population Decline

In its most recent census, Germany discovered it had lost 1.5 million inhabitants. By 2060, experts say, the country could shrink by an additional 19 percent, to about 66 million people.

Germany actively encourages their citizens to have more than one child.

A large majority of the population in Germany are elderly. Soon, with their retirement, others leaving the country, and very

few people to replace them, Germany faces a huge labor shortage.

Germany’s Shortage The German government now pay families to have more children. They have also become more accepting to immigrants from other

countries. In Germany, more and more of the labor force that support retirees are

immigrants from other eastern European countries. Copy this graph in your notes.

You only have to copy down the years 2008-2012. In that four year time period. Their population fluctuated about 1.5 million.

What are the repercussions of these policies?

Pro-natal countries Russia is facing the very real chance to lose

over 42% of its workforce in the next twenty year. Russian men live a short 58 years. Their lifestyle shortens their lifespans.

France offers financial incentives for families with more than 3 children. Aside from Japan, European countries are the fastest

aging countries in the world. Singapore’s changes by the year.

Singapore The country, in the early 1960s, limiting the

size of the family to three. After a huge decline, the Family Planning

and Population Board (FPPB) was established, initially advocating small families but eventually running the Stop at Two program.

The government eventually became pro-natalist, and officially announced its replacement Have Three or More (if you can afford it) in 1987.

The government wanted to encourage the middle class and upper class families, while discouraging lower class families from having children.

China’s One-Child Policy

China has land availability issues due to their high population, and for religious regions, their one child policy affects the population of females.

Confucianism favors sons because they are more helpful in the rural areas, while taking care of his parents.

The family lives with the male, after his marriage. According to estimates, this year China has

prevented the birth of close to 400 million people. After the second child, families are subject to tax

fines. Before modernization, Chinese government could

not handle the burden. Laws were stricter.

Beating the Policy Families are having twins through medical

fertilization. Since there are no tax penalties for twins, the

amount of twins born in China has doubled in the last year.

Population growth has slowed, but the growth continues.

Population Change in China

Year Population in Millions

Change

1964 694.6 -------

1982 1008.2 +313.6

2000 1265.8 +257.6

2010 1339.7 +73.9