Question

Discuss the factors affecting people to have more or fewer children in your country.

Answer 1

Answer:Factors influencing population growth

Economic development. Countries who are in the early stages of economic development tend to have higher rates of population growth. In agriculturally based societies, children are seen as potential income earners. From an early age, they can help with household tasks and collecting the harvest. Also, in societies without state pensions, parents often want more children to act as an insurance for their old age. It is expected children will look after parents in old age. Because child mortality rates are often higher, therefore there is a need to have more children to ensure the parents have sufficient children to look after them in old age.

Education. In developed countries, education is usually compulsory until the age of 16. As education becomes compulsory, children are no longer economic assets – but economic costs. In the US, it is estimated a child can cost approx $230,000 by the time they leave college. Therefore, the cost of bringing up children provides an incentive to reduce family size.

Quality of children. Gary Becker produced a paper in 1973 with H.Gregg Lewis which stated that parents choose the number of children based on a marginal cost and marginal benefit analysis. In developed countries with high rates of return from education, parents have an incentive to have a lower number of children and spend more on their education – to give their children not just standard education but a relatively better education than others. To be able to give children the best start in life, it necessitates smaller families. Becker noted rising real GDP per capita was generally consistent with smaller families.

Welfare payments/State pensions. A generous state pension scheme means couples don’t need to have children to provide an effective retirement support when they are old. Family sizes in developing countries are higher because children are viewed as ‘insurance’ to look after them in old age. In modern societies, this is not necessary and birth rates fall as a result.

Answer 2

Factors affecting people to have more or fewer children in country:

The following are considered as factors affecting people to have more or fewer children in your country,

Employment:

• The first part is money. If a person is employed in well salaried position, they he/she doesn’t bother about the number of children they have.

Government schemes:

• The government of country announces various schemes in related to child birth and family planning. For example, if a couple have only one girl child, they can avail free education to their child.

Food and diet:

• The types of food which people consuming today have direct adverse effect on the reproductive ability of the adult aged people.

Genetics:

• There are some people who remain childless and the reason may be sometimes due to certain genetical issues.