The world reached 7 billion population in 2011 and within just a decade it is touching the milestone of 8 billion. According to the estimates of the United Nations, the global population could grow manifold and reach up to 11 billion by the year 2100. At one end of the spectrum, we can thank the rapid development of medical science, and technological advancement for the abrupt decline in mortality rates resulting in longevity. On the other end, fertility rates are declining but not at the same momentum. The world population growth in leaps and bounds has exacerbated some of the pressing issues in the face of globalization with more pressure on finite resources. In 1989, the United Nations Development Programme decided to celebrate 11 July as World Population Day every year to remind people of the significance of population dynamics and its impact on all the other variables in our lives. The theme of world population day this year is ‘Women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights’, marking the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
The theme has envisioned a sustainable future by taking women and girls at the forefront of our development discussions. As envisioned by the UN with its Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda: a just and humane world gives gender equality precedence.
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Holistic development and social security for all start with economic security which has intricate links with the level of education and health condition. The plummeting rate of global employment is one of the striking consequences of population growth. Globally only 47.4 % of women are employed compared to 72.3 % of men (ILO). According to the estimates of the World Bank, 689 million people all over the globe are in extreme poverty living on merely $ 1.90 a day at present. World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030 gender poverty gap among people aged 25 to 34 will widen, rising from 118 women for every 100 men in 2021 to 121. This dismal state of women’s economic status acts as an impediment to unlocking the global potential of sustainable and rapid development.
In this globalized world, the distance between places has shrunk tremendously, and the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict and the covid-19 pandemic have been watershed moments for us to fathom the perks and perils of globalization. The disruptions in the global supply systems during the pandemic had a cascading effect on food security. It has pushed an additional 25% more pregnant and nursing women in 12 countries in Africa and Asia into acute malnutrition. The UN projects that at this rate of population growth we will require 70 % more food by 2050, which means more agricultural production. Currently, 60% of people suffering from chronic hunger are women and girls. Although women create and supply most of the food for households worldwide, due to deeply ingrained patriarchal standards in our communities, they usually consume the last and least amount of food. Women’s health inequalities are caused by social and cultural conventions that restrict women’s access to healthcare, education, and employment prospects, which further feminizes poverty as indicated by the larger proportion of impoverished homes with a female head of household.
We also need to remind ourselves that the figures of the population are not merely numbers but these are living breathing human beings with every one of them occupying space and needing access to existing resources to sustain their lives and thus making sustainable development an uphill task. If adequate measures are not taken, the path to development for women and girls will be further hampered by the population boom coupled with climate change in nations already rife with crises.
The covid-19 pandemic has also exposed the precarious and unequal healthcare facilities in developing countries. According to WHO, 50 % of the world’s population does not have access to the medical facilities they require. A middle-class family is just a hospital bill away to be pushed into poverty. Women are the first and most susceptible to any such shocks. Thus, Women’s access to a robust primary healthcare system is crucial as we work to reach SDG 3.8, which calls for universal health coverage for all by the year 2030.
Globally, 781 million people are illiterate, and out of them, over 75 % of them are found in South- Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and West Asia. Women are the worst sufferers comprising two-thirds of all illiterates in the world. Educated women can make informed choices about marriage and childbirth. Universal quality health care services, sex education, and safe family planning measures can not only help in the reduction of fertility rates but improve the socio-economic condition and reduce generational poverty.
The countries with a high population and decrease in total fertility rates that have reached the phase of demographic dividend i.e., a large pool of people in the working-age group could be an asset if harnessed with more focus on their education, skills, and healthy development. Women’s full participation will add $28 trillion to the GDP by 2025. Thus, reiterating that Economic development and gender equality go hand in hand.
According to United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), the pool of working-age population for India is going to last till 2055 which is the longest period of demographic dividend for any country. A conducive work environment irrespective of gender can generate more per-capita income and accelerate socio-economic development for any country.
Skilled manpower is an asset to all. We can expect a sustainable future only when everyone joins hands to share the care. The call of the hour is for governments, NGOs, and all the stakeholders to make collaborative and concerted efforts to make a conducive environment and ease of access to all those amenities that a woman needs for holistic development. Planning for population control should not come at the expense of human rights.
Policies that address and strive for a workable solution for the feminization of poverty will automatically improve our future generations’ physical and mental health. Women’s participation at the decision-making table and letting them negotiate for their needs is pertinent to improve education, employment, access to health, childcare, and safety for all. Enabling women to lead lives of sustainable economic advancement and self-reliance. These policies will also help to ensure that development is socially and economically inclusive.
Newspapers and digital media including social media platforms should be used judiciously to make people aware of gender equality and its impact on population and development. The explosion of the population that has already taken place cannot be reversed but the solution lies in tactfully channelizing this population as an asset for further development rather than dipping into poverty. The onus is on the policy-makers, researchers, and all of us to make this human boom a human boon by engaging women at all levels. Women are our untapped human resource; we just need more wishful thinking and to overthrow all patriarchal stereotypes to let them shine for us.
Written by Sangeeta Das, Asst.Accounts Officer, PWRD, Fatasil Ambari,Guwahati, Ph.D. research Scholar at Bodoland University, Email id: dassangeeta756@gmail.com
