Fertility decline has repercussions far beyond those of changing population growth rates. Discuss - Essay Example

the current situation of Iran and Saudi Arabia as it pertains to the decline, and will also contrast the situation in these countries in respect to demographic behaviour and specific repercussions. Fertility decline has repercussions far beyond those of changing population growth rates. Already clear is the increasing influence of the media in Islamic countries. This is quite obvious from role the media played in Iran’s family planning. It is due to the media’s influence that smaller families became more popular in the first place.

Thus, it is quite simple to see that Muslims are becoming more focused on the media, especially as it pertains to family and social developments. Saudi Arabia is another Middle Eastern country that is situated across the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia has also experienced a recent decline in fertility, but for different reasons, and there are contrasting political, social, and economic situations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. During the seventies and early eighties, the Islamic Republic of Iran had a pro-natalist policy, meaning that it encouraged families to have larger families.

In the late eighties, the Iranian cities began to be seriously overpopulated. This problem directed The Islamic Republic of Iran to take action by way of family planning in 1989, which led to a dramatic drop in fertility. Saudi Arabia has been influenced by economic hardship as well, and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has recently begun to decrease. Politically, the Saudi Arabian government has not directly influenced fertility rate in any way, however, indirect political influence is a possibility The increasing education of women in Islamic countries seems to play a large part in the fertility decline.

The more educated the woman, the fewer births she is likely to have. Iran has recently begun to increase the amount of education available to women. As the amount of education rises, less births occur. In Arabia, the educational status of women has