The United Nations Population Division predicts the world population will reach 9.1 billion in 2050. This predicted growth in expansion of the human population has drawn some viable concerns towards our planet’s capacity to sustain this amount of people. Concerns such as how will these people be fed, clothed and housed with the scarce amount of resources that are available to us now are among them. It can be quite evident to assume population growth occurs when the birth rate of a species outnumbers the mortality rate. Currently there are significant differences in regards to fertility rates between developed nations and developing nations. For instance the fertility rate in Japan is 1:3; conversely the fertility rate in Kenya is approximately 4:9.
Several factors that contribute to this differentiation can be found by researching the following topics of medicine, technology, cultural issues, contraception use, and social mores between developed and developing nations. Developed nations such as the United States of America saw a decrease in the mortality rates once certain advancements within the field of medicine was introduced. The improvement of sanitation and nutrition practices has also been contributing causes to lowering death rates within the nation. After World War II the decline in death rates correlated to the huge increase of population growth.
Over time technological advances worked towards changing societal structures within families living in America. These advancements provided more rights and opportunities for women, which allowed for more jobs to being created, thus impacting fertility rates. As the society continued to modernize birth rates and death rates declined. The population was able to reach an equilibrium, which is also known as, Phase Four, in the demographic transition process.
The developing countries have yet to reach the final phase of the demographic transition process. These nations currently have numerous amounts of people who are overly exposed to deathly diseases such as HIV in Africa. People living in developing countries have little to no access to receiving adequate health care, which also contributes to the high fertility and mortality rates. Since fewer technological advances have been introduced in these developing countries, there are less opportunity for employment, leading to an increasing number of individuals who will remain in poverty and contributing to the high fertility rate.
Culture plays an important role in fertility rates of both developed and developing nations. Culture is defined as being “the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior” (Schaefer, 2009, p.57). All societies have adopted many cultural universals, which impacts methods of adaptation in order to meet essential needs for food, shelter and clothing. Therefore from the perspective of an individual living in a developed country, it may be hard to understand why it is common for so many poor women in developing countries to have a lot of children. Most cultures in developing nations rely on the productive asset of children to help with household and work related chores. There are child laws in developed countries that prohibit children from working at a certain age, however children in developing nations are expected to conduct adult labor by the age of twelve. “In traditional, subsistence, agriculture societies education often seems unnecessary” (Wright, 2008, p.146). As developed nations often reward children for their educational endeavors, students in developing nations are viewed as being an economic liability.
A society’s culture is responsible for creating social mores or social norms. As mentioned earlier for a developed nation, women in the workplace is viewed as a social norm, however it is quite the contrary in developing nations to find many opportunities for women since traditional societal structures discourages women from owning businesses, property or obtaining higher education (Wright, 2008). The modern woman living in developed nations has access to affordable contraceptives and reproductive health care facilities. The choice of abortion is also given to these women unlike the women living in developing countries. Therefore the fertility rates in the developing countries will continue to be high since the socio-cultural climate encourages high fertility while providing minimal access to contraceptives.
A rising population of the human species can have a detrimental impact on the environment if certain practices are not implemented in both developed and developing nations. The population residing in developed countries generally live an affluent lifestyle therefore a high consumption of resources is often the effects of that lifestyle. It would be of benefit to our natural world if these individuals living in these developed nations would incorporate stewardship practices in everyday living.
According to studies the United States alone is responsible for 24% of the carbon dioxide being produced, also the tropical rain forests and other agricultural grounds are being over exploited in efforts to support the affluent lifestyle of this developed nation. The effects of over consumption have also been responsible for unwanted globalization, which has resulted in a huge loss of biodiversity and vast deforestation. The developing nations will also need to do its part to encourage the use of contraceptives as a method to prevent the increase in fertility rates and spread of diseases. Actions from both sides of the spectrum must be taken in order to ensure a more sustainable environment for our future.
References
Schaefer, R., (2009) Sociology 8th Edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Co.
Wright, R., (2008). Environmental Science 10th edition, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall Inc.
Kimona Brown - "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." - Rumi
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