On 5/8/06, Jenny Brown wrote:
> If you don't have any guarantee your children
> will survive to adulthood, if you don't have a guaranteed pension, if you>
live in a situation (usually rural) where children contribute economically,
then > you are compelled or induced to have a large family for survival
reasons...
in addition, the subordination of women is much worse in many societies than in the US or Europe. There, the men often get the benefits of large families (a large number of sons) without suffering the costs (death in childbirth, etc.), encouraging population growth.
^^^^^^
CB: Obviously, it has to be women who decide how many children they birth, and whether they want a social statement in favor of general relief from work of same. Women's right to abortion is the main form that this takes today.
I only mentioned the possibility of focussing on women's concerns, because I can't recall it being a factor in most specific discussions of population growth and control. And as Jim says, gotta admit that ye olde men's "desire for offspring" may pressure women not to speak up on it as much as they might ( even in the U.S.;even on the left). But I'm not sure. Wondering about it. On the left, accusations of Malthusianism might quiet women with that opinion. Don't know.