Natal relates to the time and place of one’s birth. Governments, at various scales, can cultivate policies to facilitate changes in birth rates. There are 2 ways in which governments can control birth rates:

1. Pro-natalist are policies that promote births

2. Anti-Natalist are policies that seek to restrict births

Pro-natalist: Finland

In the early 2000s a baby alarm was sounded, a baby box was given to every new born. BOTH parents get 7 months of PAID parent leave, labor and delivery costs are subsidized by the government single moms receive the benefit of two parents.

Pro-natalist City Scale: Lestijärvi

In 2017, CBR dropped very low, because of this, there was a fear of loss of population and schools. Mothers who give birth and reside in the town are paid 10,000 euros over 10 years.

Anti-Natalist: China’s one child policy (OCP)

OCP starts as an encouragement, it is based on a system of approvals and employer monitoring. If citizens are out of compliance, they must pay a “social maintenance fee.”

Exceptions: Minorities were permitted 3 children, disabled/death of first child, births spaced out (3-5 years, both parents are only children, 1st child is adopted, those living outside the country, rural families under “daughter hardship.”

Effects of OCP (China’s one child policy)

Sex Imbalance- Son preference, China’s lost girls, rise in violence against females, forced sterilizations/abortions, sex-selective procedures, 4-2-1, an aging population without supports, 2015 2 child policy

2.7 IMPORTANT VOCABULARY

Anti-Natalist Policies- These policies attempt to decrease the number of births in a country and are often used by developing countries

One Child Policy- (China implemented in1979-2016) Parents who has more than one child were subject to fines, although the law made exceptions for rural couples and ethnic minorities

Gender Preference- An unbalanced gender ratio at birth, usually because of culture and gender inequality (China’s one child policy contributed to this; 2010 - 118 males born for every 100 females. India has a similar sex ratio to China because males have more economic potential than girls)

Pronatalist Policies- Programs designed to increase the fertility rate