|
|
 |
|||
                          |
 |
 A VALUABLE LESSON FROM EDUCATED WOMEN |
BY RAHUL JACOB With 950 million people, India ranks second to China (1.2 billion) among the most populous countries. But since China launched a draconian birth control program in 1971, India has been closing the gap. Indians have reduced their own fertility but not nearly as much as the Chinese have. If current growth rates continue, India's population will pass China's around the year 2028 at about 1.7 billion. Should that happen, it won't be the fault of the enlightened women of Kerala, a state in southern India. While India as a whole adds almost 20 million people a year, Kerala's population is virtually stable. The reason is no mystery: close to two-thirds of Kerala women practice birth control, compared with about 40% in the entire nation. The difference lies in the emphasis put on health programs, including birth control, by the state government, which in 1957 became India's first elected Communist regime. And an educational tradition and matrilineal customs in parts of Kerala help girls and boys get equally good schooling. While one in three Indian women is literate, 90% of those in Kerala can read and write. Higher literacy rates foster family planning. "Unlike our parents, we know that we can do more for our children if we have fewer of them," says Laila Cherian, 33, who lives in the village of Kudamaloor. She has limited herself to three children--one below the national average of four. That kind of restraint will keep Kerala from putting added pressure on world food supplies. |