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Birth rate is a function of poverty. It's high in poor places, since the childhood survival rate is low, and you need extra children to help support family and
by lifeformed 9y ago
Birth rate is a function of poverty. It's high in poor places, since the childhood survival rate is low, and you need extra children to help support family and community.
As standards of living increase, birth rate drops, until it's at a sustainable 2-per-family, like it is in rich countries.
Force poor people to have less kids, and you keep them in poverty. Improve their living situations and they'll have less kids.
- collyw 9y agoI think there are a lot more factors that just wealth involved in the number of children. Religion being one. Culture being another. I didn't say anything about "forcing" people to have less kids. But I do think we should encourage them. It would cost very little to feed people in extreme poverty, could you offer them that as an incentive not to have children? Offer them enough food for a family of three. If they want to have 5 kids, its themselves who will suffer? (Thats just a suggestion that I haven't thought through in any depth, I am sure there will be plenty of flaws in it). On a side note, China has been growing very rapidly in the last few decades, and they had a one child policy for much of that.