Urban Sociology - Research Paper Example

Urban Sociology - Population and the Third World - Table of Contents I. Introduction …………………………………………………………… 3 II. Impact of Population Growth with High Poverty Rate in Africa …. 3 III. The Nature and Possible Causes of Urban Sociological Problems in Africa ……………………………………………………. 5 IV. Severity of Constantly Increasing Population Problem and its Impact on the Local, Regional, National and Global Economy ….. 7 V. Recommended Ways on How to Combat the Population Growth Problem ……………………………………………………………….. 8 VI. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………. 9 Table I – Complete List of African Countries, Population, and Internet Users ………………………………………………………10 - 11 References ……………………………………………………………………. Introduction As a result of globalization and industrialization, urbanization that takes place within the third world countries has been rapidly growing due to the increase in the number of local and foreign migrants who prefers to settle in third world country’s urban areas. Aside from the wide gap which is noticeable on people’s income distribution, racial communities found in the third world countries are also significantly increasing. (Chung & Chang, 1998) In relation to high poverty rate in third world countries despite the increase in urban development, a research study will be conducted in order to determine the significant impact of population particularly in Africa. In the process, the nature and possible causes of the urban sociological problems that occur in Africa will be discussed followed by examining the severity of constantly increasing population problem and its impact with the local, regional, national and global economy. Prior to the conclusion, recommended ways on how to combat the population growth problem will be tackled. Impact of Population Growth with High Poverty Rate in Africa Studying the Africa’s demographics is considered as one of the most controversial case during the twentieth century because of the rapid growth of the African population as well as its urbanization development. (Zuberi et al., 2003) Divided in five major regions known as the North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa (Think Quest, 2008c), the country is very unique in the sense that it is composed of more than 50 other countries with thousands of different ethnic groups such as the Arabs, Ashanti, Bantu, Berbers, Bushmen, Dinka, Fulani, Ganda, Hamites, Hausa, Hottentot, Kikuyu, Luba, Lunda, Malinke, Moors, Nuer, Pygmies, Semites, Swahili, Tuareg, Xhosa, and Yoruba aside from those that are less known by the local people. (Think Quest, 2008b) (See Table I – Complete List of African Countries, Population, and Internet Users on page ) Africa has a huge population with approximately 955.206,342 as of 2008. (Internet Worlds Stats, 2008) Despite the excessive high number of inhibitants, Africa is also considered as one of the fastest urban developing country. As of 2008, approximately one-third of the total African population lives and work in the cities. (Think Quest, 2008b) As a result of fast paced urbanization and a better economic base in the country, the number of birth and death rates has declined over the years. Aside from having the opportunity for a higher educational, the benefits of driving a car, and an access to worldwide television networks (Think Quest, 2008b), the Internet World Stats (2008) reported that a total of 44.5 million internet users live in the country of Nigeria (10.0), Egypt (8.6), Morocco (7.3), South Africa (5.1), Algeria (3.5), Kenya (3.0), Uganda (2.0), Tunisia (1.7), Sudan (1.5), and Zimbabwe (1.4). The increase in the number of internet users signifies the urbanization and ability of the people to cope with the latest technology available globally. (See Table I – Complete List of African Countries, Population, and Internet Users on page ) The opposite can be noted in the case of the rural areas in Africa. Two-thirds of the African population is highly vulnerable with the negative impact of famine, diseases, and wars. It has also been noted that the birth rate, infant mortality, and death rate remain high in under developed areas (Think Quest, 2008b) due to lack of proper education on birth control, medical equipments necessary to ensure the health and safety of the local people, and health care professionals who are willing to work in the rural areas of Africa. The problem with having a high population growth and a fast paced urbanization development is the fact both clashes together in the sense that the constantly increasing population growth pulls back the economic growth and development in the country whereas a rapid urbanization contributes a lot towards Africa’s economic success. The Nature and Possible Causes of Urban Sociological Problems in Africa The inability of the local government to financially support the developmental needs in rural areas is one factor that keeps the African population significantly increasing over time. Since people in rural areas have lesser educational and work opportunity, there is a very huge tendency for the local residence to spend more time on procreation rather than exerting their effort on how they could contribute to the economic growth of the country. For this reason, majority of the African people remains living a rural life. The existence of wide ethnic groups in Africa also greatly affects the developmental processes in the country. Officially, there are four major languages used in Africa. This includes: Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Khoisan aside from 1,000 other languages that has been identified Think Quest team. (Think Quest, 2008c) Language barriers is a serious problem since these people are unable to effectively communicate their specific needs to the African government in the absence of a highly competitive language translator. Because of communication difficulties, financial assistance of the people who live in rural areas are often neglected by the local government. The lack of sufficient educational resources including teams of health care professionals have caused millions of African people who live in rural places to have no access to the importance of family planning. Aside from the lack of knowledge on the proper use of birth control methods such as the oral contraceptives or condoms, the diverse religion and personal beliefs of the African people also significantly contribute to the rapidly increasing population growth. Among the religious groups found in Africa includes: (1) Muslim; (2) Animist; (3) Christian; (4) Protestant; (5) Catholic; and (6) Hindu. (Think Quest, 2008d) Since the 1930s, Catholic church and other Christians like the Protestant have been strongly opposing the use of birth control because of their belief that humans have no right to interfere with God’s will. (The Pill, 2008) On the other hand, Muslim religion allows husbands to have multiple wives (at least four spouse). (Slack, 2008) The problem with allowing the Muslim husbands in Africa to have multiple wives makes it very difficult to control the annual increase in the birth rate. Severity of Constantly Increasing Population Problem and its Impact on the Local, Regional, National and Global Economy “Racial discrimination is not the root cause of poverty but having only one income to support all the needs of the entire family”. (Roth, 1997) This statement summarizes the sociological situation that occurs in the urban and rural areas in Africa. Even though there is a very rapid economic development that takes place in the country, not all African families have both parents working to support the financial needs of the family. Aside from having either an average or a low paying job, some of these families have only one parent working since the other parent has to stay at home in order to take care of the children. With this kind of familial situation, increasing the number of children could make it more difficult to provide the educational and other basic needs of the children. In the absence of proper education, these children will become less competitive by the time they search for a good paying job. In other words, financial difficulty becomes a lifetime cycle. On the part of the regional and national economy, having a large population of workers makes the employment screening more difficult on the part of less-educated and less competitive individuals. Since there is more supply of human resources as compared to its demand, employers will have more bargaining power over the available human resources in the sense that employers could easily search for potential employees who are willing to take extra work load at a much lesser price. In the end, the gap between the rich and the poor will widens. Literally, it is the group of highly competitive and educated individuals who are competing with the global economy. Since two-thirds of the population lives in the rural areas, it is possible that only less than one-third are actively participating in the economic development of the country. For this reason, the African government could only collect limited amount of taxes to support the urbanization program in the cities as well as the financial needs of most Africans who are living in poverty. Recommended Ways on How to Combat the Population Growth Problem Considering the negative impact of excessively high population growth rate in terms of improving the quality of life of the African people, there is a need for the African government to find ways on how they could educate the African people with regards to the importance of family planning including use of available birth control methods regardless of language barriers, religious beliefs, and social status in life. In line with this matter, it is highly recommended that the African government should establish a group of health care professionals who will be assigned with a mission to educate the local people who are living in rural areas on family planning. The African government should also extend some educational and occupational opportunities and support in rural areas so as to refrain the local people from actively participating on procreation activities. Allowing these children to have the opportunity to study will not only give them the chance of becoming employed in the future but also keep them busy from spending too much vacant time on intimate relationship with another person. Conclusion Africa’s a high rate of population growth and a fast-paced urbanization development clashes together. Basically, a constantly increasing population growth pulls back the overall economic growth and development of the country whereas a rapid urbanization contributes a lot towards Africa’s economic success. Despite the rapid urbanization development that occurs in Africa, the number of individuals who lives in poverty remains high. Supply and demand for competitive and education human resources is one factor that triggers the high poverty rate in Africa. African government should control the increase in population in order to provide each child with proper education. To prevent and minimize the population growth rate in Africa, the government should exert an effort in developing new ways that will enable them to educate the African people with regards to the importance of family planning as well as the use of available birth control methods. The most effective way of educating people in rural areas is to establish a group of health care professionals who will be assigned with a mission to educate the local people on family planning. Another effective way of preventing the African people from having an early experience on procreation activities is by extending some educational and occupational opportunities in rural areas. Table I – Complete List of African Countries, Population, and Internet Users African Countries Population (2008 Estimate) Internet Users (2008 Estimate) Algeria 33,769,669 3,500,000 Angola 12,531,357 100,000 Benin 8,294,941 150,000 Botswana 1,842,323 80,000 Burkina Faso 15,264,735 80,000 Burundi 8,691,005 60,000 Cameroon 18,467,692 370,000 Cape Verde 426,998 37,000 Central African Republic 4,434,873 13,000 Chad 10,111,337 60,000 Comoros 731,775 21,000 Congo 3,903,318 70,000 Congo, Dem. Rep. 66,514,506 230,400 Cote d’lvoire 18,373,060 300,000 Djubouti 506,221 11,000 Egypt 81,713,517 8,620,000 Equatorial Guinea 616,459 8,000 Eritrea 5,028,475 120,000 Ethiopia 78,254,090 291,000 Gabon 1,485,832 81,000 Gambia 1,735,464 100,200 Ghana 23,382,848 650,000 Guinea 10,211,437 50,000 Guinea-Bissau 1,503,182 37,000 Kenya 37,953,838 3,000,000 Lesotho 2,128,180 70,000 Liberia 3,334,587 1,000 Libya 6,173,579 260,000 Madagascar 20,042,551 110,000 Malawi 13,931,831 139,500 Mali 12,324,029 100,000 Mauritania 3,364,940 30,000 Mauritius 1,274,189 340,000 Mayotte 216,306 - Morocco 34,343,219 7,300,000 Mozambique 21,284,701 200,000 Namibia 2,088,669 100,100 Niger 13,272,679 40,000 Nigeria 138,283,240 10,000,000 Reunion 802,855 220,000 Rwanda 10,186,063 150,000 Saint Helena 7,601 1,000 Sao Tome & Principe 206,178 23,000 Senegal 12,853,259 820,000 Seychelles 82,247 32,000 Sierra Leone 6,294,774 13,000 Somalia 9,558,666 98,000 South Africa 43,786,115 5,100,000 Sudan 40,218,455 1,500,000 Swaziland 1,128,814 42,000 Tanzania 40,213,162 400,000 Togo 5,858,673 320,000 Tunisia 10,383,577 1,722,200 Uganda 31,367,972 2,000,000 Western Sahara 393,831 - Zambia 11,669,534 500,000 Zimbabwe 12,382,820 1,351,000 Total 955,206,348 51,022,400 Source: Internet World Stats, 2008 References: Chung, A. Y., & Chang, E. T. (1998). From Third World Liberation to Multiple Oppression Politics: a Contemporary Approach to Interethnic Coalitions. Social Justice , 25(3):80 - 100. Internet Worlds Stats. (2008). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from Internet Usage Statistics for Africa: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htm Roth. (1997). In Ruiz-Smith C. "The Pros and Cons of Two Authors Take on Black and White Poverty in America". Retrieved June 22, 2008, from http://www.socyberty.com/Social-Sciences/Poverty-Opposing-Viewpoints.55124/1 Slack, J. (2008, February 4). Mail One. Retrieved June 22, 2008, from Muslim husbands with more than one wife to get extra benefits as ministers recognise polygamy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-512043/Muslim-husbands-wife-extra-benefits-ministers-recognise-polygamy.html The Pill. (2008). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from People & Events: The Catholic Church and Birth Control : http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/e_church.html Think Quest. (2008). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from The Living africa: Population: http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_people/population.shtml Think Quest. (2008b). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from The Living Africa: Ethinic Groups: http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_people/ethnic_groups.shtml Think Quest. (2008c). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from The Living Africa: Languages in Africa: http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_people/language_groups.shtml Think Quest. (2008d). Retrieved June 22, 2008, from The Living Africa: Religion in Africa: http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_people/religions.shtml Zuberi, T., Sibanda, A., Bawah, A., & Noumbissi, A. (2003). Population and African society. Annual Review of Sociology , 29:465 - 486. Read More