Think About What policies might help address the population issues in your region?

Population Policies How nations have attempted to increase, decrease and perfect populations

Expansionist Policies Pronatalist Incentives: – Subsidies, childcare, preferential treatment Penalties: – Punishment for using/teaching about contraception Propaganda

France

Post- WWII Propaganda Incentives

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Romania Nikolai Ceausescu

Romania Concerned with falling birthrate Economy Racist Concerned with falling birthrate Economy Racist

Romania, Methods – Abortion illegal – Contraception banned – Divorce very difficult – Monthly gynecological checkups for all women – Some financial incentives for multiple children – Punitive taxes for over 25 with no children

Romania: Results Short-term rise in birth rate Big increase in maternal mortality Huge number of orphans

Critical Thinking What makes for good pronatalist policy?

Restrictive Policies Antinatalist Concerned with overpopulation Incentives – Better resources, preferential treatment – Access to family planning services Penalties – Loss of opportunities, status – Criminal prosecution

China Under Mao, population growth encouraged Communist government introduces “One Child” policy

China

One Child Policy, 1979-Now Families are “encouraged” to only have one child Incentives for one-child families Punitive measures

One Child Policy, 1979-Now “Where there are evil people who actually sabotage or undermine the policy of family planning, we must mobilize the masses to expose them in a timely way and subject them to severe treatment by the judiciary and related departments” – Government of China directive

One Child Policy, 1979-Now Burden falls mostly on women China in danger of having a shortage of women

Critical Thinking What makes for good antinatalist policy?

Eugenics “Perfecting” the population Breeding Denying some ability to reproduce

Brazil

The “Whitening” – Pro-European Immigration – Encouraged miscegenation – “Brazilian Man” The “Whitening” – Pro-European Immigration – Encouraged miscegenation – “Brazilian Man”

Brazil: Results “Race” is much harder to define Darker-skinned people discriminated against Recent resurgence of “Afro-Brazilian” identity

Sweden Forced sterilization – Mentally ill – Roma (Gypsies) – “loose” women – orphans Over 62,000 sterilized