HCI Geog Essay Question Notes Sec 2

3 Factors Affecting Natural Population Growth 1. Improved Living Standards Explanation (increase): Improved living standards means that there is a higher level of healthcare and sanitation , such as clean water. A higher level of sanitation means that there are more people living in more hygienic conditions, and their homes are supplied with clean piped water and rubbish disposal facilities and sewers. Therefore, they are less susceptible to infectious diseases and dying prematurely, which reduces the number of people who fall sick . A higher level of healthcare means people have access to advanced medical facilities and healthcare services, patients will be able to receive better medical care in time . This causes the death rate to decrease, especially in infant mortality rate, and an increase in the life expectancy , which leads to a natural increase in population . 1. Example (increase): Singapore, a developed country that has advanced health care and a high level of sanitation has a low death rate of 5.2 deaths per 1000 people . Explanation (decrease): Improved living standards refer to a developed economy , which means that many births are required for manpower . Moreover, improved living standards also refer to a developed society , where there is better family planning , which reduces the fertility rate and birth rate, thus decreasing the population growth . Also, improved living standards increase the cost of living in the more developed urban areas , which causes families to have fewer childre n as it is too expensive to raise them. In addition, women are more educated and they will rather pursue their careers , so they do not want to spend time at home taking care of children ,As a result, some of them might decide to marry later. This decreases their child-bearing years and they will have fewer children . Example (decrease): Singapore is a developed country that has a Family Planning and Population Board to control the population growth through family planning , and most women in the country are educated . It has a low birth rate of 1.14 births per woman in 2019 . 2. Government Policies Explanation: The government can launch policies to increase or slow down the birth rate , depending on the country’s situation . The

government can give rewards , salary bonuses etc. to people who abide by the policy , while those who violated them were given punishments and salary deductions . The government may also ban/encourage the use of contraceptives to increase/decrease birth rates. Example (increase): In 1987 , the Singapore government launched the “Have three or more - if you can afford it” policy to reverse the decreasing birth rate caused by the previous “Stop at 2” policy. Paid maternity leave and Baby bonuses were given to help citizens support their children financially , encouraging them to have more children . The 1st and 2nd children get an $8000 baby bonus , while the 3rd child gets a $10000 baby bonus. Example (decrease): In 1979 , the Chinese government started the “One Child Policy” to slow down the population boom after World W ar II . Rewards and salary bonuse s were given to people who abided by the policy , while fines and annual tax for those who violated the policy . This caused a drop in the birth rate from 6.4 in 1965 to 1.6 in 2000. 3. Cultural Attitudes Explanation (Increase): In different cultures and religions , it is often encouraged to have an extended family . Moreover, twins and triplets are considered blessings to the family , which will encourage couples to keep trying until they have twins . Example (Increase): The Muslims treasure their extended family very much, due to the communal family spirit , thus they are encouraged to have more children. Explanation (Increase): Some religions may ban the use of contraceptives due to various reasons , like going against “nature’s law” . As a result, these religious families may have more children as they are unable to prevent pregnancies . Example (Increase): Christians ban the use of contraceptives as it is said to be going against “nature’s law” . As a result, Christian families have more children as they are unable to prevent pregnancies . Explanation (Increase): Some countries or religions have a preference for males due to them being able to carry on the family lineage. As a

result, these families will have more children in hopes of giving birth to a boy. Example (Increase): Asians tend to have a preference for males because they carry on the family name. The birth rate in China before the one-child policy was exceptionally high, at 6.4 per woman in 1965. 4. Increased Accessibility and Availability of Contraceptives (Hinders Population Growth) Explanation: The increased accessibility of contraceptives allow more people to use contraceptives, which will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and thus the number of accidental births. This causes a lower fertility rate and birth rate, which hinders population growth. Example: During the 1960s in China, the government started giving out free contraceptives as part of the One-Child Policy. This reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies and births in China, hence reducing the fertility rate from 6.4 children per woman in 1965 to 1.6 children per woman in 2000. 5. Better Education (Hinders Population Growth) Explanation: Many educated couples believe that education is the key to their child’s success. However the high education fees pressure these couples to have fewer children, so they can afford the education fees for every child. This results in lower fertility and birth rate, which hinders population growth. Example: In 1990, the education costs in Hong Kong was one of the highest in the world. This caused the population pyramid to change from a large-base pyramid to a beehive shape. The fertility rate in Hong Kong also dropped from 3.46 per woman in 1970 to 1.27 children per woman in 1990. Explanation: More educated women tend to have children later and have fewer children. They tend to spend more time working to earn money to support their family. Example: Japan, which has a 100% primary school enrollment, has a low birth rate of 1.3 children per woman.

6. Evaluation Government policies a