EMDC’s generally have a regressive population pyramid indicating declining or little change in birth rates and death rates. With declining little change in the birth rates, which are already at a very low level, the fertility of a country declines. For example in Germany (9.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) the birth rate is so low that the government is concerned that the total population will decline, which could have a major impact on it’s economy.
Typical population pyramids of EMDC’s And ELDC’s.
The more advanced the level of education reached by a region’s population, generally the smaller average size of families. With education comes knowledge of birth control and social awareness. This factor is possibly linked with economic status as on average lower income groups are less educated and have larger families. This is apparent in Angola with 42 % of the population literate with GNP/Capita of 600 (US$), compared with Australia with 99 % literacy where the GNP/Capita is 17,510 (US$).
The status of women affects a nation’s fertility. This is apparent in Bangladesh where women have no say in how many children they have. This is due to the men believing that a large number of children is a sign of their virility. These women are in Purdah, meaning they are required to completely cover their bodies and have a very low status. The Islamic faith believes that women are inferior and do not require education. The Islamic faith in Iran “represents the divine power that rules over men, and men in turn rule over the women in their families.” (Bargaining with Fundamentalism: Women and the Politics of Population control in Iran. Homa Hoodfar.) This in turn results in a high level of fertility as women are not allowed control over contraception.
Many of the world’s religions such as the Muslim and the Roman Catholic faiths encourage large families in order to safeguard the continuance of their beliefs. Some, for example the Roman Catholic religion actively opposes any form of contraception. Regions dominated by these religions have considerably higher birth rates than elsewhere, such as the Philippines ( a Roman Catholic dominated country) where the birth rate is 27.37 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) as opposed to Australia’s birth rate of 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.), Australia having a wide mix of religions.
Concepts of marriage vary between cultural groups. In some places polygamy is practiced and this adds to levels of fertility. In areas such as India and Iran (until recently) where the average age for girls to marry has traditionally been sixteen or younger, large families are predominant as women generally have their first child before the age of eighteen. Certain cultures such as in China, attach great importance to a male successor as they will be able to work on their farm as well as continue the family name. Therefore large families are common to ensure the survival of at least one boy, e.g. infant mortality rates in China are high at 28.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) whereas in Australia it is at 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.).
High infant mortality rates (IMR) are a result of a combination of factors including poor sanitary conditions, poor diets and the low status of women. Parents in countries such as Angola (IMR 193.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) and Algeria (IMR 40.56 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) where there is a low standard of living, appear to deliberately have many children so that at least some reach adulthood. Women in countries who receive little education and empowerment, consequently have more children than women in countries where women’s status is equal with men.
Political factors such as war, limit population growth. The two world wars resulted in the loss of sixty million deaths, however the importance of this factor on fertility is not of great significance as wars usually reduce population for one generation only. An increase in birth rates is often the case after wars, known as baby booms.
Political leaders have had great effects on the fertility of their countries. During the 1930’s both Germany and Italy encouraged the procreation of children by offering incentives such as state bounties. In the early 1970’s, after decades of encouragement to have large families the Chinese government told it's people that population growth was a danger and that each family should limit their family size to only one child. The Chinese government had previously told its people that ‘a large population gives a strong nation’ evident during the early stage of the Cultural Revolution in the early 1960s.
This resulted in the birth rate increasing to over sixty births per thousand population in 1963. With the introduction of one of the strictest family planning policies in the world China’s birth rates has decreased to 15.95 births/1,000 population (2001 est.). The impact of this policy on the future of fertility of China will be very pronounced. As the number of young females declines future birth rates will also decline.
Fertility and mortality are closely linked and as one changes it often leads to changes in the other. The crude death rate is the most common measure of mortality despite the fact that its simplicity is likely to hide important details such as the occurrence of death in different age groups, which indicates the factors influencing the particular country.
As with fertility there appears to be a link between death rates and economic development. The lowest levels of death rates are associated with regions of generally high living standards, whilst the highest are characteristic of economically backward regions. Countries with low birth rates tend to have low death rates which is typical of stage four in the demographic transition model and those with high birth rates tend to have higher death rates. However some small countries with limited technology have surprisingly low mortality levels, for example Fiji has a low death rate of 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) as opposed to Zambia with a death rate of 21.97 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.). This is partially due to the major influence of western countries. There are numerous factors influencing death rates including the demographic structure, medicine, socioeconomic status, occupations and the place of residence.
Countries or areas within countries where the age structure is top heavy i.e. where there is a high proportion of aged people, will have generally higher death rates. This is evident in retirement areas such as the South Coast in England and Florida in the USA.
The better the medical facilities and supplies of a country generally the lower the death rate. A general guide to the extent of medical facilities is the ratio of doctors to patients within given areas. On average economically developed countries have fifty times more doctors to patients than do economically developing countries, thus indicating lower mortality rates.
Poor sectors of a population often have higher death rates than more affluent sectors of a population. This is due to the factors of living in substandard housing and unsanitary conditions and being unable to afford a balanced diet or adequate medical treatment. In Favelas or squatter settlements in Brazil all factors listed above are apparent. In countries where social security and state financed welfare schemes are in operation, the connection between socioeconomic status and mortality levels is reduced. In Britain the social welfare system ensures that everyone has a comparatively high standard of housing, nutrition and medical care.
Certain occupations are more dangerous than others and therefore lead to a great number of deaths. Coal miners are vulnerable to a high accident risk as well as being prone to respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis.
The prevalence of disease causing a higher mortality level, may result from an unbalanced diet, a lack of clean water and poor sanitation, a situation often enhanced by the limited numbers of doctors and hospital beds per person.
Generally death rates are higher in urban areas as opposed to rural areas. This is due to factors such as crowded living conditions, high traffic densities, atmospheric pollution and job stress, which are characteristic of the modern lifestyle. This possibly leads a country to be in ‘stage five’ of the demographic transition model where a natural decrease occurs. Despite advances in medicine and improved living conditions death rates can not continue to decline as there always tends to be incurable diseases such as cancer and AIDS.
Death rates have generally been declining due to overall improvements in medical facilities, hygiene and the increased use of vaccinations leading to a rise in life expectancy. This results in an aging population, causing a greater demand for pension services to be provided by the work force. The increase in population size due to the greater life expectancy will cause a great strain on the much-needed natural resources which in time may reduce living standards and therefore increase mortality.
A wide range of factors influence and affect fertility and mortality on the population. The most conspicuous is the relationship between a country’s birth rate/ death rate and it’s economy. This relationship however is enhanced by many other factors such as the status of women, religion and political powers. All factors contribute to affect fertility and mortality, there is not one sole influence.
References:
- Concept Geography – Spencer Thomas
- Geography an Integrated Approach – David Waugh
- Elements of Human Geography – Charles Whynne Hammond.
- The Wider World – David Waugh
- Environment and People – Michael Witherick
-
Bargaining with Fundamentalism: Women and the Politics of Population control in Iran. Homa Hoodfar
