Controlling population is considered to be one of the major challenges in every country. While different countries have adopted various measures to curb population growth, India continues to struggle in developing population control strategies.
Even in the midst of urbanisation, industrialisation and economic development, India continues to witness huge population growth.
According to the United Nations 2016 data, the current population of India stands at 1.3 billion and the country has the fastest growing population after China.
As statistics indicate, the increasing rate of India’s population is quite alarming and requires immediate action. Research suggests that the birth rate is higher among low-income families as they believe that if they produce more children, there will be more earning members.
Scholars have for quite some time identified the family to be the central unit for achieving population control goals.
In fact, India was the first country to adopt family planning as one of its socio-economic development policies in 1952. Post independence, in the first to third Five Year Plans (1951-1966) various methods such as condoms, jellies and foam tablets were advocated for birth control.
Additionally, service clinics were set up in rural areas to educate people about family planning. Advertisements and the media were used to spread awareness and the necessity of using contraceptives for the overall wellbeing of the family.
It was only in the fourth Five Year Plan (1969-1974) that the target was set and a birth rate reduction from 39 per cent to 25 per cent per 1,000 people within the next decade was proposed.
To meet this target, sterilisation clinics were set up and incentives as well as compensations were offered to undergo sterilisation.
Since then sterilisation as a method has been a target-oriented programme and the practice of forceful sterilisation has often been reported in the media.
In fact, it is important to note that among all population-control measures, sterilisation camps have been most enforced by the Government of India.
One cannot deny that such camps have been the reason for a large number of deaths in the country. Reports highlight that from 2009-2012, over 700 women died because of failed sterilisation procedures (United Nations, 2013; Population Foundation of India, 2014).
Though public health experts, demographers and women groups have criticised the functioning of sterilisation camps on several instances, they continue to exist.
Even though concerns of “quality of care” provided in these camps have been questioned by several studies, no particular action has been taken against the doctors and staff involved in sterilisation.
Thirteen women lost their lives at a sterilisation camp in Chhattisgarh in 2014 and strict action was expected from the Centre.
However, it was only on September 16 this year that the Supreme Court ordered the state government to shut down all sterilisation camps in three years.
With this order it is important to understand what alternate approaches can be used to curb population.
Various scholars have said even though sterilisation is the most accepted form of population control measure, it is also one of the major causes of increased mortality rates among women in India.
In this context it is important to reflect on population control policies being followed by other highly populated countries.
Examples outside India
Since population control is a concern for many countries, it is important to understand the different policies adopted by nations experiencing high population growth.
In the United States of America, the Title X Family Program was launched in 1970 to provide contraceptive services, supplies and information regarding birth control.
In particular, families in the low-income group were given priority under this. In 2014, the programme successfully prevented two million unintended pregnancies.
Similarly, Indonesia follows the Banjar system, which involves the community to spread awareness on birth control measures.
Village family planning groups are created by the government to mould fertility behaviour among people. The country has also involved religious leaders to cater to its Muslim population.
The Banjar programme has seen a major shift in the attitude of religious leaders, who have actively supported it.
Bangladesh has achieved the lowest total fertility rate in South Asia through family welfare assistants. Under this, volunteers pay door-to-door visits and advise mothers about the use of contraceptives and provide free ones after every two weeks.
If we look at the different policies used by other countries, it can be suggested that through trained health workers and by involving religious leaders, the use of various contraception measures can be made popular.
Alternative approaches
In India, women are paying a high price in terms of their health due to sterilisation. In this context, it is important to identify alternate approaches that can be used to curb population growth.
Drawing from examples set by other countries, one can say that use of condoms and intrauterine devices can be used to maintain a balance between usage of contraception methods by men and women.
By training members of the village community, the government can also create village self-help groups. These groups can educate villagers on available birth control measures.
In particular, men in rural areas should be motivated and urged to use contraception to reduce the burden on women.
In cities, areas should be identified with low-income families and trained health workers should be sent to spread awareness on other contraception methods. The main goal of population control programmes should be that both men and women should make informed choices. With the Supreme Court’s order to shut down all sterilisation camps and urge for a national health policy, it is important for the Indian government to revaluate population control goals.
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.