Week 1-3 Lessons

Chapter 1
FAMILY PLANNING TERMINOLOGIES
Family Planning is the conscious effort of couples to regulate the number and spacing of births through
artificial and natural methods of contraception. Family planning connotes conception control to avoid
pregnancy and abortion, but it also includes efforts of couples to induce pregnancy.

Population is a group of objects or organisms of the same kind.

Demography is the scientific study of human populations, including their sizes, compositions, distributio ns,
densities, growth, and other characteristics, as well as the causes and consequences of changes in these
factors.

Fertility is the actual reproductive performance of an individual, a couple, a group, or a population. See
general fertility rate.

Migration is the movement of people across a specified boundary for the purpose of establishing a new or
semi-permanent residence. It is divided into international migration (migration between countries) and
internal migration (migration within a country).

Responsible Parenthood, as defined in the Directional Plan of POPCOM, is the will and ability of parents to respond
to the needs and aspirations of the family and children. It is a shared responsibility of the husband and the wife to
determine and achieve the desired number, spacing, and timing of their children according to their own family life
aspirations, taking into account psychological preparedness, health status, socio-cultural, and economic concerns

Reproductive Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.

REFERENCE:
POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU. Available at http://www.prb.org/Publications/Lesson-
Plans/Glossary.aspx. Accessed 11/06/15.

Chapter 2
The Philippine Population Program
OBJECTIVES
▪ Help couples/parents exercise responsible parenting to achieve the desired number, timing, and spacing of
children and to contribute in improving maternal, neonatal and child health, and nutrition (MNCHN) status;
▪ Help adolescents and youth avoid pre-marital sex, teenage pregnancies, early marriages, sexuality
transmitted infections and other psycho-social concerns; and
▪ Contribute to policies, plans and programs that will assist government to attain population growth and
distribution consistent with economic activities and sustainable development.

POLICIES
▪ The central idea of the program is responsible parenthood. It is oriented towards the overall improvement of
family well-being; it is not concerned with just fertility reduction. It views family welfare, including that of the
individual welfare, as the central objective of the national development program. Thus, the program promotes
family development and responsible parenting. It believes that parenting and raising a family is a shared
responsibility of the husband and the wife.
▪ The program is non-coercive. It respects the rights of couples to determine the size of their family and choose
voluntarily the means to do so in accordance with their moral convictions and religious beliefs, and cultural mores
and norms. It believes in informed choice.
▪ The program rejects abortion as a means to control fertility. Abortion is illegal and the program will never consider
it as a family planning method.
▪ The program promotes self-reliance and multi-sectoral participation. It gives priority to projects that are self-
sustaining and with community participation. It encourages coordinative and participative approaches through
the participation of Local Government Units and Non-Government Organizations and other critical stakeholders.
▪ The program adheres to gender equality and equity which is non-discriminatory in all political, social, and
economic development concerns.

STRATEGIES
▪ Work for universal access (accessibility, availability, and affordability) of all medically, ethically, and legally
approved family planning methods and services to help couples/parents plan their families;
▪ Promotion of male participation/involvement in Responsible Parenting and Family Planning (RP-FP) within
the context of gender equality and equity;
▪ Continue to utilize community organization and participatory strategies (Responsible Parenting Movement,
community-based volunteers) to sustain/broaden acceptance of responsible parenting as a social norm;
▪ Provide age-appropriate and values-laden human sexuality education for the youth thru the formal and non-
formal educational systems and equip/educate parents with appropriate skills and information on
adolescent health and human sexuality concerns;
▪ Intensify/sustain communication, education, and advocacy campaign for population management and RP/FP
programs by broadening alliances and strengthening networks with Program stakeholders; LGUs, NGOs,
business community, academe, media and faith-based organizations, among others;
▪ Conduct scientific population and related researches/studies and strengthen data & information
management for policy, plan, and program development; and • Advocate for increased investment on the
population management program by the national government and LGUs through legislative agenda and
budgetary support.

REFERENCE:
Department of Health. Philippine Population Management Program. Available at
http://www.doh.gov.ph/node/1320. Accessed 11/6/15.

Chapter 3
Population Profile

2020 2014
Population 108,996,385 100,096,496
Percentage 1.41% 1.38%
World Rank 13 12
Population Density 368 people per Km2. 334 people per Km2.
Percentage/Urban 47.5% 50%
Median Age 25.7 years 23.2 years
REFERENCE:
Philippine Population (Live). Retrieved on February 6, 2020 at www.worldometers.info.

Chapter 4
Factors Influencing Population Growth
MIGRATION
Migration (human) is the movement of people from one place in the world to another for the purpose of taking up
permanent or semi-permanent residence, usually across a political boundary. An example of "semi-permanent
residence" would be the seasonal movements of migrant farm laborers. People can either choose to move
("voluntary migration") or be forced to move ("involuntary migration").

Migrations have occurred throughout human history, beginning with the movements of the first human groups from
their origins in East Africa to their current location in the world.

Migration occurs at a variety of scales: intercontinental (between continents), intracontinental (between countries
on a given continent), and interregional (within countries). One of the most significant migration patterns has been
rural to urban migration—the movement of people from the countryside to cities in search of opportunities.

Types of Migration
1. Internal Migration: Moving to a new home within a state, country, or continent.
2. External Migration: Moving to a new home in a different state, country, or continent.
3. Emigration: Leaving one country to move to another (e.g., the Pilgrims emigrated from England).
4. Immigration: Moving into a new country (e.g., the Pilgrims immigrated to America).
5. Population Transfer: When a government forces a large group of people out of a region, usually based on
ethnicity or religion. This is also known as an involuntary or forced migration.
6. Impelled Migration (also called "reluctant" or "imposed" migration): Individuals are not forced out of their
country, but leave because of unfavorable situations such as warfare, political problems, or religious
persecution.
7. Step Migration: A series of shorter, less extreme migrations from a person's place of origin to final destination—
such as moving from a farm, to a village, to a town, and finally to a city.
8. Chain Migration: A series of migrations within a family or defined group of people. A chain migration often
begins with one family member who sends money to bring other family members to the new location. Chain
migration results in migration fields—the clustering of people from a specific region into certain neighborhoods
or small towns.
9. Return Migration: The voluntary movements of immigrants back to their place of origin. This is also known as
circular migration.
10. Seasonal Migration: The process of moving for a period of time in response to labor or climate conditions (e.g.,
farm workers following crop harvests or working in cities off-season; "snowbirds" moving to the southern and
southwestern United States during winter).

People Who Migrate

1. Emigrant: A person who is leaving a country to reside in another.
2. Immigrant: A person who is entering a country from another to take up new residence.
3. Refugee: A person who is residing outside the country of his or her origin due to fear of persecution for reasons
of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
4. Internally Displaced Person (IDP): A person who is forced to leave his or her home region because of
unfavorable conditions (political, social, environmental, etc.) but does not cross any boundaries.
5. Migration Stream: A group migration from a particular country, region, or city to a certain destination.

Why Do People Migrate?

People move for a variety of reasons. They consider the advantages and disadvantages of staying versus moving, as
well as factors such as distance, travel costs, travel time, modes of transportation, terrain, and cultural barriers.
1. Push Factors: Reasons for emigrating (leaving a place) because of a difficulty (such as a food shortage, war,
flood, etc.).
2. Pull Factors: Reasons for immigrating (moving into a place) because of something desirable (such as a nicer
climate, better food supply, freedom, etc.).

Several types of push and pull factors may influence people in their movements (sometimes at the same time),
including:
▪ Environmental (e.g., climate, natural disasters)
▪ Political (e.g., war)
▪ Economic (e.g., work)
▪ Cultural (e.g., religious freedom, education)

3. Place Utility: The desirability of a place based on its social, economic, or environmental situation, often used to
compare the value of living in different locations. An individual’s idea of place utility may or may not reflect the
actual conditions of that location.
4. Intervening Opportunities: Opportunities nearby are usually considered more attractive than equal or slightly
better opportunities farther away, so migrants tend to settle in a location closer to their point of origin if other
factors are equal.
5. Distance Decay: As distance from a given location increases, understanding of that location decreases. People
are more likely to settle in a (closer) place about which they have more knowledge than in a (farther) place
about which they know and understand little.

Laws of Migration
Geographer E.G. Ravenstein developed a series of migration 'laws' in the 1880s that form the basis for modern
migration theory. In simple language, these principles state:
▪ Most migrants travel only a short distance.
▪ Migrants traveling long distances usually settle in urban areas.
▪ Most migration occurs in steps.
▪ Most migration is rural to urban.
▪ Each migration flow produces a movement in the opposite direction ("counterflow").
▪ Most migrants are adults.
▪ Most international migrants are young males, while more internal migrants are female.

Impacts of Migration
Human migration affects population patterns and characteristics, social and cultural patterns and processes,
economies, and physical environments. As people move, their cultural traits and ideas diffuse along with them,
creating and modifying cultural landscapes.
▪ Diffusion: The process through which certain characteristics (e.g., cultural traits, ideas, disease) spread over
space and through time.
▪ Relocation Diffusion: Ideas, cultural traits, etc. that move with people from one place to another and do not
remain in the point of origin.
▪ Expansion Diffusion: Ideas, cultural traits, etc., that move with people from one place to another but are not
lost at the point of origin, such as language.
▪ Cultural markers: Structures or artifacts (e.g., buildings, spiritual places, architectural styles, signs, etc.) that
reflect the cultures and histories of those who constructed or occupy them.

Measuring Migration
▪ In-migration: people moving into one place from another place within a nation (internal migration).
▪ Out-migration: people moving out of one place to another place within a nation (internal migration).
▪ Gross migration: total number of in-migrants and out-migrants (internal migration).
▪ Net internal migration: the difference between in-migration and out-migration.
▪ Movers from abroad: people coming into a nation from another country or part of the world.
▪ Net migration: the difference between net internal migration and movers from abroad.

FERTILITY
Fertility is the number of children a woman bears during her reproductive years and is related to social behaviors
and personal decisions.

Indicators in Measuring Fertility

▪ The crude birth rate (CBR) is measured as the number of live births per 1000 population per year. It is not an
adequate measure of fertility since it is very much influenced by the age and sex structure of the population.
However, it is an important determinant of the growth rate of a population.
▪ The total fertility rate (TFR) is a useful way to express the rate at which women bear children. This represents
the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing
years and bore children according to a given set of age-specific fertility rates. With nearly equal chance of male
and female births, a TFR of 2.0 is considered replacement level.

Determinants of Fertility Decline

▪ The industrialization, urbanization and modernization of societies bring wider access to education, improved
child survival and increased adoption of contraception which are the major driving forces of fertility decline.
▪ Education also plays a decisive role in fostering fertility decline. Studies in 51 developing countries show that
among women with secondary or higher education, TFR is far lower than those with only primary or no
education. Besides providing knowledge, education increases exposure to information and the media, builds
skills for gainful employment, increases female participation in family decision-making and raises their income.
▪ Changes in marriage patterns, postponing marriage, and increasing divorce rates may lead to smaller families
because couples have fewer years of childbearing. Women who delay the onset of child-bearing also have
smaller families. A shortened childbearing period for women is now an important determinant of persistent
below-replacement fertility in many developed countries and in an increasing number of developing countries.
Although earlier menarche extends the duration of fecundity, postponement of first birth until age 30 or beyond
shortens the effective child-bearing period.

MORTALITY
The death rate is known as the mortality rate, which is a measure of the number of deaths in a population. Mortality
rate is typically expressed in units of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.

The crude death rate (CDR) is the number of deaths in one year per 1000 population. It is not a very sensitive
measure of mortality as it is significantly influenced by the age and sex structure of the population, while the age
structure is not taken into account in the measurement. Yet CDR is an important measure that, in combination with
the birth rate, determines population growth rate.

REFERENCE:
Human Migration. Available at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/09/g68/migrationguidestudent.pdf. Accessed
11/06/15.
 Chapter 5
Effects of Rapid Population Growth
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of existing human population exceeds the carrying
capacity of Earth. Overpopulation is caused by number of factors. Reduced mortality rate, better medical facilities,
depletion of precious resources are few of the causes which results in overpopulation. It is possible for a sparsely
populated area to become densely populated if it is not able to sustain life.

Growing advances in technology with each coming year has affected humanity in many ways. One of these has been
the ability to save lives and create better medical treatment for all. A direct result of this has been increased lifespan
and the growth of the population. In the past fifty or so years, the growth of population has boomed and has turned
into overpopulation. In the history of our species, the birth and death rate have always been able to balance each
and maintain a population growth rate that is sustainable.

Since the time of the Bubonic Plague in the 1400’s, the growth of population has been on a constant increase.
Between the time of the plague and the 21st century, there was been hundreds and thousands of wars, natural
calamities and man-made hazards. However, none of these have made a dent on the population. Developing
nations face the problem of overpopulation more than developed countries, but it affects most of the Earth as of
now. When we are talking about overpopulation, we should first understand the causes of it.

Causes of Overpopulation
1. Decline in the Death Rate: At the root of overpopulation is the difference between the overall birth rate and
death rate in populations. If the number of children born each year equals the number of adults that die, then
the population will stabilize. Talking about overpopulation shows that while there are many factors that can
increase the death rate for short periods of time, the ones that increase the birth rate do so over a long period
of time. The discovery of agriculture by our ancestors was one factor that provided them with the ability to
sustain their nutrition without hunting. This created the first imbalance between the two rates.
2. Better Medical Facilities: Following this came the industrial revolution. Technological advancement was
perhaps the biggest reason why the balance has been permanently disturbed. Science was able to produce
better means of producing food, which allowed families to feed more mouths. Medical science made many
discoveries thanks to which they were able to defeat a whole range of diseases. Illnesses that had claimed
thousands of lives till now were cured because of the invention of vaccines. Combining the increase in food
supply with fewer means of mortality tipped the balance and became the starting point of overpopulation.
3. More Hands to Overcome Poverty: However, when talking about overpopulation we should understand that
there is a psychological component as well. For thousands of years, a very small part of the population had
enough money to live in comfort. The rest faced poverty and would give birth to large families to make up for
the high infant mortality rate. Families that have been through poverty, natural disasters or are simply in need
of more hands to work are a major factor for overpopulation. As compared to earlier times, most of these extra
children survive and consume resources that are not sufficient in nature.
4. Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment: With latest technological advancement and more
discoveries in medical science, it has become possible for couple who are unable to conceive to undergo fertility
treatment methods and have their own babies. Today there are effective medicines which can increases the
chance of conception and lead to rise in birth rate. Moreover, due to modern techniques pregnancies today are
far safer.
5. Immigration: Many people prefer to move to developed countries like US, UK, Canada and Australia where best
facilities are available in terms of medical, education, security and employment. The end result is that those
people settle over there and those places become overcrowded. Difference between the number of people who
 are leaving the country and the number of people who enter narrows down which leads to more demand for
food, clothes, energy and homes. This gives rise to shortage of resources. Though the overall population remains
the same, it just affects the density of population making that place simply overcrowded.
6. Lack of Family Planning: Most developing nations have large number of people who are illiterate, live below
the poverty line and have little or no knowledge about family planning. Getting their children married at an early
age increase the chances of producing more kids. Those people are unable to understand the harmful effects of
overpopulation and lack of ignorance prompts them to avoid family planning measures.

Effects of Overpopulation
1. Depletion of Natural Resources: The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the
depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling short of
the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is because of the
growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife in a reckless manner,
causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about overpopulation have noticed
that acts of violence and aggression outside of a war zone have increased tremendously while competing for
resources.
2. Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing some
serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly affected the
quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice caps, changing
climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to face due
to environment pollution.
3. Conflicts and Wars: Overpopulation in developing countries puts a major strain on the resources it should be
utilizing for development. Conflicts over water are becoming a source of tension between countries, which could
result in wars. It causes more diseases to spread and makes them harder to control. Starvation is a huge issue
facing the world and the mortality rate for children is being fuelled by it. Poverty is the biggest hallmark we see
when talking about overpopulation. All of this will only become worse if solutions are not sought out for the
factors affecting our population. We can no longer prevent it, but there are ways to control it.
4. Rise in Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as there fewer
jobs to support large number of people. Rise in unemployment gives rise to crime as people will steal various
items to feed their family and provide them basic amenities of life.
5. High Cost of Living: As difference between demand and supply continues to expand due to overpopulation, it
raises the prices of various commodities including food, shelter and healthcare. This means that people have to
pay more to survive and feed their families.

Solutions to Overpopulation
1. Better Education: One of the first measures is to implement policies reflecting social change. Educating the
masses helps them understand the need to have one or two children at the most. Families that are facing a hard
life and choose to have four or five children should be discouraged. Family planning and efficient birth control
can help in women making their own reproductive choices. Open dialogue on abortion and voluntary
sterilization should be seen when talking about overpopulation.
2. Making People Aware of Family Planning: As population of this world is growing at a rapid pace, raising
awareness among people regarding family planning and letting them know about serious after effects of
overpopulation can help curb population growth. One of the best way is to let them know about various safe
sex techniques and contraceptives methods available to avoid any unwanted pregnancy.
3. Tax Benefits or Concessions: Government of various countries might have to come with various policies related
to tax exemptions to curb overpopulation. One of them might be to waive of certain part of income tax or
lowering rates of income tax for those married couples who have single or two children. As we humans are more
inclined towards money, this may produce some positive results.
4. Knowledge of Sex Education: Imparting sex education to young kids at elementary level should be must. Most
parents feel shy in discussing such things with their kids which result in their children going out and look out for
such information on internet or discuss it with their peers. Mostly, the information is incomplete which results
 in sexually active teenagers unaware of contraceptives and embarrassed to seek information about same. It is
therefore important for parents and teachers to shed their old inhibitions and make their kids or students aware
of solid sex education.

*****
REFERENCE:
Akhar, Saad. Overpopulation. Available at http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-
solutions-of-overpopulation.php. Accessed 11/08/15.