Geography revision: Population

Geography revision: Population

1. Birth Control Method- China's one child policy (case study)

   • What was the policy?
     • delayed marriage and child bearing
     • fewer and healthier births
     • one child per couple
   • When/ why was it introduced?
     • 1979, allowing each couple one child
     • By the 1970s, government realised current population growth would become unsustainable
   • Impacts
     • social
       • women who became pregnant and already had a child would be forced into having an abortion
       • Large numbers of female babies went into an orphanage, and in some cases were killed
     • economic
       • experts feel that China's economy will not have enough workers in the future to sustain the ageing population
   • changes to the policy
     • If their first child is a girl, couples can now have a second child
   • success?
     • pros
       • overpopulation reduced by 400 million
       • China's population has slowed down- more food and jobs for people
     • cons
       • more boys than girls- 18/100 will be left unmarried
       • falling birth rate, leading to more old people

2. Non birth control method- transmigration in Indonesia (case study)

   • What was the policy?
     • crowded population in small area. Solution in 1969 to move landless peasants and others to outer islands and away from central islands.
       • central islands- Java, Bali
       • outer islands- Irian Jaya, Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi
   • effects
     • economic
       • many migrants did not know how to farm, so they became refugees
       • expensive resettlement- $57,000 per family in 1980s
     • social
       • clashes between migrants and indigenous population
       • Traditional land rights ignored- ownership granted to new settlers
     • Political
       • Many say government only wanted more security in some areas
     • environmental
       • Transmigration blamed for increasing rate of deforestation
   • Recent developments
     • By 2010, 250,00 families wanted to move, and only 10,00 could be offered government support
     • By 2011, 2,000 families accepted free transport, 2 hectors of land and living costs for 6 months

3. Population change- Ageing population- Sweden solution (case study)

   • Causes
     • Better health care
     • Healthier diets
     • New disease cures, immunity from disease
     • 2011 records: median age rise from 35 to 39, highest ever 1 in 6 65+
   • pro-natalist
   • effects
     • social
       • 48% 75+ living alone
       • 63% 65+ have longstanding illness
     • economic
       • state pension cost will rise
       • greater demand for care- care cost to double to £48 billion within 20 years
   • solutions
     • benefits include:
       • father paid 13 months on paternity leave, at 80% of their salary
       • extra money for families with a gap of 30 months or less between their children
       • All day child-care and all-day school paid for
       • sick child care- 120 paid days per child per year