Less Income/Less Immigration, page-60

Reasons why poor countries have larger families

1. High child mortality rates. Imagine living in a place where your children’s lives are constantly threatened. There’s not enough nutritious food, limited access to clean water, inadequate housing, poor health care and minimal government support. All of these factors contribute to child mortality and parents in poverty know this keenly. According to the World Health Organization, 5.4 million children under five are dying every year, with most of these children in developing countries. Faced with this reality, parents may have more kids, understanding the heartbreaking truth that some of their children simply won’t survive.

1. Misconceptions about family planning. In many communities, stigmas against contraception still exist. These beliefs can originate from a variety of sources, including breakdowns in public health education, cultural biases and even scepticism about the motives of the government in controlling family size. Often, they contribute to the cultivation of fear and confusion over using certain family planning methods.[2]

1. Lack of access to health services. It’s not always misconceptions that prevent people from practicing family planning—sometimes it’s the lack of accessible health care.[3] For some, health clinics are located far from their homes and villages, making it difficult to travel to get needed support. In especially rural areas, a lack of infrastructure, roads and transportation can also be a barrier toward receiving professional medical care.

1. Patriarchal values. To Canadians, having fewer children—or no children—is an increasingly familiar norm and the conversation around women’s reproductive rights is one that’s top of mind.  But in many countries, the severity and pervasiveness of patriarchal values is still an overwhelming reality. In these circumstances, men can often make the decisions for their wives and families, including whether or not to use contraception. As a result, women are often left without any control over how many kids they’ll end up having.[4]

1. Forced early marriage. Forced early marriage is any marriage where either person is under 18 and hasn’t given their full consent to be married.[5] It happens for many reasons and teenage girls are by far the most vulnerable. When a girl is married young, her childbearing years start much earlier, meaning—among other complications—she’s likely to have more kids.

1. Lack of education. Girls who marry and begin their families in adolescence are much less likely to finish school and go on to model educational values for their children. They are also likely to have more kids, making it difficult to afford the cost of education for each child. [6] On the other hand, women who go further in their education tend to have fewer children. They often marry later in life and are more likely to prioritize their own children’s education, understanding the financial investment it will require.

1. Religious beliefs. In many faiths, children are seen as an enormous blessing. Religious texts and scripture can enforce this idea and often act as a strong guiding influence in people’s lives.[7] When a life philosophy is engrained in the belief that your offspring will be provided for and that children are incredible gifts, it stands to reason that couples would embrace the idea of a large family.

1. Social reputation. In a culture or community where children are viewed as blessings, the larger the family—the more blessed you are. In many parts of the Global South, couples without children are stigmatized and looked down upon. Big families are viewed as powerful and if a woman is unable to bear children, it’s not uncommon for her husband to abandon her or begin a family with someone else.[8]

1. Family legacy. For many, the desire to preserve lineage, history and a family name can feel like a natural, human instinct. It’s not uncommon for parents to be partial to passing on their own genetics to continue their family legacy.

1. Limited finances. Families in poverty, particularly those who make their living through agriculture, may have more kids as a way of supporting the family’s livelihood. Children are often tasked with chores like walking to collect water, gardening, field work and animal care, even when they’re very young. In more dire situations, children may enter the labour force—often illegally—to earn more income for the family’s survival.
2. Care for elders. As children grow up, they not only carry on their family’s legacy, but also the responsibility of providing for and protecting their parents and siblings. This is especially important in countries without strong governmental safety nets. In these cases, having more kids may provide an extra sense of security for parents, with the added hope that one day, one or more children may be successful enough to lift the entire family out of poverty.[9]