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Yet, it is not just our neighbors to the east where cultural expectations and norms are contributing to global overpopulation. In South America, it is common for a married man to have many mistresses and to have children with them. In Southern America, it is a sign of manliness and virility to have many children with many different women. These men don’t support the children they father and the women don't have money to raise their children alone. If women were properly educated, they would better understand that they could not afford to feed children on a single parent income. Statements like “I didn't worry about feeding my children, I thought God would take care of it,” would not be said. This latter comment highlights another factor of over population, ‘religion’.
In western society, people have greater options for their religious choices and their education. Religious conformity is not practiced in most developed countries and there is a separation of secular and spiritual matters (i.e. there is no state imposed religion). Children are exposed to various religious beliefs and while they are often instructed in the religious practices of their parents, they are able to make choices as adults regarding their religious affiliation. Many people in this type of society find a balance between modern science and spirituality so they can make informed decisions to guide their life. Yet, when religious freedom is denied and there is no state/church separation, strict religious practices are forced upon society and choices get made for you.
This is a fact of life in many eastern and middle-eastern countries such as Iran, Iraq and India. Religions such as Islam, as practiced by Muslims, are actually encouraging overpopulation. Even the Catholic religion contributes to overpopulation due to the Vatican’s long held beliefs on birth control and abortion. The Catholic Church continues to call people who use contraceptives, sinners. It is difficult to educate people regarding the importance of using contraceptives for both their children's health and world’s wellbeing when they believe their use of contraceptives could land them in hell. Both spiritual education and scientific education should both be available to everyone. However, when people cannot afford proper education as is often the case in impoverished countries, the only source of information is the Church which advocates for having many children.
The Church, however, has no answers on how parents are to feed, clothe, and educate their offspring with no money available. In the Philippines, 80% of people are Roman Catholic. Most Filipinos believe that children are gifts from God and, therefore, large families are common throughout the Philippines. The Vatican has a great influence on both social and political life. Thus, abortion and divorce are against the law in the Philippines and condoms and other methods of birth control are frowned upon. This leads to serious social problems. When a society is not educated about, nor understand, the scientific and economical aspects of their choices, social, economical, and political instability are a result.
There are a number of different attitudes to contraception in the Islamic faith. The Quaran says: “You should not kill your children for fear of want”. Muslim tradition permits the use of birth control where the wellbeing of the family is concerned. Yet, the Quaran also says that a son must light the funeral fire for their parents to get into heaven, so families will usually not stop having children until one or more sons is born. This results in couples exceeding the number of children they wanted, just to have a son. Moreover, the wife has no choice in the matter but must comply with the dictates of her husband. This reflects another instance where women's second rate status has a negative impact on population control.
All in all, there are many factors affecting the overpopulation issue. Yet, the thing that seems to tie them all together is ‘inequality’; Gender inequality, financial inequality, status inequality, and country inequality. We have one Earth and we are one species and all of us need to work together equally to get the most out of it, and ensure a future we can look to with hope. To achieve this, we need to educate and empathize with all people of the world. If we make others hurt, we are hurting ourselves. If we help those who are struggling with poverty, disease and intolerable living conditions, we are helping the Earth survive. Overpopulation is a global issue that must be handled in a spirit of cooperation.
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Writer Profile
Jillian Xenia Sunderland
I am currently attending University and in the future hope to pursue Law and International Relations. I am also a photographer on the side, and have work shown in national galleries and international magazines.
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Comments
R Kahendi | May 10th, 2008
Very thoughtful piece
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