Birth control programmes
Three main factors contribute to the success of birth control programmes. They are
• education
• proportion of people living in urban areas; and
• cultural practices.
Education
Educated people tend to have fewer children. This is due to late marriages, greater concern for career and a better understanding of family planning
People living in urban areas
In urban areas , a large family is a disadvantage. This is because people have to pay for housing and food items are expensive. In rural areas, must people are farmers. They want a large family so that the children can help with the farm work. Thus, for economic reasons, it is easier to persuade people to practice birth control in urban areas than in rural areas.
Cultural practices
Many traditional customs and practices of people in developing countries have resulted I high birth rates. For example, children are commonly considered as security for old age, and male offspring are a must to carry on the family name or inherit the family property. Such attitudes make people have big families.
The governments of many developing countries have stepped up their efforts to control birth rates by
• setting up family planning clinics with trained staff all over the country to provide family planning services to married women;
•having regular family campaigns to promote birth Control methods and the acceptance of a small family;
• promoting sterilization among married couples who have completed their families;
• making newly married couples aware of the importance of family planning; and
• giving rewards to married couples who volunteer to have only two children.
These efforts have shown some results. However, a substantial fall in birth rates is linked to improvements in the country's economy and standard of living.
