POPULATION POLICY:Goals of Population Policy, Objectives, Strategies

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Introduction to Sociology SOC101

Lesson 40

POPULATION POLICY

A policy is a formalized set of procedures to guide behavior. The purpose of policy could be either to alter

or maintain consistency of behavior to achieve a specific goal.

Population policy is a strategy for achieving a particular pattern of population change. Population policy

may be single purpose like reducing crude birth rate by 20 per 1000 or it could be multifaceted like

rationalizing the reproductive behavior.

For population policy it is necessary to assess the future population trends and its implications. One has to

look into the population projection (like in how many years population will double?) What will be the

expected socioeconomic consequences of the demographic trends? Should we let these demographic

trends continue? If the (future) demographic trends are not in the expected directions then one has to look

into its causes? What interventions could be introduced to reach the desired demographic results with the

desired socioeconomic consequences? Such a scenario could be seen from the following figure:

Population Change

PAST

FUTURE

Interventions

Expected

Socioeconomic

Demographi

Consequences

c Trend

Causes

Desired

Demographi

Socioeconomic

Consequences

c Result

Pop. Trend

Future oriented people need policy. Population policies may be for retarding growth, or promoting growth

or it could be for maintaining population growth. No country can ignore the issue of population policy.

An important question is: Is present population explosion in Pakistan the result of high fertility? How

about the rapidly declining death rate and increasing life expectancy? There in fact is "the man's triumph

over death." We do find that the total fertility rate (TFR) has fallen the world wide which is 3.6. In the

developing countries it has come down to 4.1 children per woman. Nevertheless, Pakistan is still passing

through the demographic transition where the birth rate has lagged behind the declining death rate. This

cultural lag has already resulted in population explosion.

In Pakistan the TFR has come down to 4.1 which is still very high. The fertility rate that produces

stabilization of population is the replacement level which is 2.1 births per woman. The TFR in Pakistan is

twice high than the replacement level.

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Introduction to Sociology SOC101

Given the structure of population in Pakistan it may be pointed out that even if we reach the replacement

level population growth will continue. The important reason being the young population age structure of

Pakistan. This is usually referred to as population momentum which means the tendency of the population size

to increase for some time even after a two child family average is reached. Since record number of young

people are entering the childbearing ages therefore the population may continue to grow for three more

decades even after the acceptance of two child family norms, which is a replacement level.

Vision of Population Policy

The government of Pakistan launched its latest population policy in July 2002. The overall vision of the

population policy is to achieve population stabilization by 2020 through the expeditious completion of the

demographic transition leading to declines both in fertility and mortality rates.

Goals of Population Policy

The population policy seeks to:

1. Attain a balance between resources and population within the broad parameters of the ICPD

paradigm. (ICPD is the international conference on population and development, which was held

in Cairo in 1994. In this conference a good number of NGOs participated. It was decided that in

future there shall be more emphasis on reproductive health. Family planning shall be part of

reproductive health. There was lot of emphasis on women rights).

2. Address various dimensions of population issue within national laws, development priorities while

remaining within our national social and cultural norms.

3. Increase awareness of the adverse consequences of rapid population growth both at the national,

provincial, district and community level.

4. Provide family planning as an entitlement based on informed and voluntary choice.

5. Attain a reduction in fertility through improvement in access and quality of reproductive health

services.

6. Reduce population momentum through a delay in the first birth, changing spacing patterns and

reduction in family size desires.

Objectives

1. Short Term

Reduce population growth to 1.9 percent per annum by 2004. (Government of Pakistan claims that

this objective has been achieved).

b. Reduce fertility through enhanced voluntary contraception to 4 births per woman by the year 2004.

(Government of Pakistan claims that this objective has been achieved)

2. Long Term

Reduce population growth rate from 1.9 percent per annum in 2004 to 1.3 percent per annum by

the year 2020.

b. Reduce fertility through enhanced voluntary contraceptive adoption to replacement level of 2.1

births per woman by 2020.

c. Universal access to safe family planning methods by 2010.

Strategies

1. Develop and launch advocacy campaigns to address special groups, such as, policy makers,

opinion leaders, youth and adolescents.

2. Promote the small family norm through innovative incentive schemes for users, clients,

parents, service providers and program managers.

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Introduction to Sociology SOC101

3. Increase ownership of population issues by the stakeholders and strengthen their

participation in the processes of service delivery and program design.

4. Reduce unmet need for family planning services by making available quality family

planning family planning and reproductive health services to all married couples who want

to limit or space their children.

5. Ensure the provision of quality services especially to the poor, under-served populations in

the rural areas and urban slums.

6. Coordinate and monitor a comprehensive network of family planning and reproductive

health services in Pakistan.

7. Build strong partnership with concerned line Ministries, Provincial line Departments, Non-

Governmental Organizations and the private sector, including industrial sector to maintain

standards in family planning by providing assistance/guidance through advocacy, training,

monitoring and other means of participation and quality assurance.

8. Strengthen contribution to population activities by civil society players, particularly NGOs

and media.

9. Ensure population and family life education for school and college students.

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