Theme for 2009: Fight Poverty: Educate Girls

10th July 2009

REDUCE POPULATION GROWTH: EDUCATE GIRLS

Educating girls is a critical means of reducing fertility and in turn cutting population growth, according to Sustainable Population Australia Inc. (SPA).

National President of SPA, Ms Sandra Kanck, says population growth is having a devastating impact on the environment and is impeding the fight against poverty in poorer countries.

"Every year, there are nearly 80 million more mouths to feed," says Ms Kanck. "In a world where over a billion people are now hungry, we must get global population growth down to zero as soon as possible. We must reduce fertility to a maximum average of two children per woman in all countries."

Ms Kanck notes that the World Bank recognises that women with formal education are much more likely to use reliable family planning methods, delay marriage and childbearing, and have fewer and healthier babies than women with no formal education.

"It estimates that one year of female schooling reduces fertility by 10 percent. The effect is particularly pronounced for secondary schooling," says Ms Kanck.

Ms Kanck emphasises that educating women is not the only means of reducing population growth.

"Universal access to reproductive health, including contraception, must go hand in hand with educating girls and empowering women," she says. "If women and adolescent girls cannot control their own fertility nor have power to say no to sex, then they will have children earlier and are less likely to further their education."

"What is true for poorer countries is also true for Australia," says Ms Kanck. "Highly educated women are more likely to delay child-bearing and have smaller families. And given that Australians are high consumers and thus heavier polluters, it is especially important that Australian women have fewer children than those in poorer countries. Three or more children is no longer acceptable in environmental terms."

Ms Kanck stresses that the global situation, particularly with respect to climate change, is dire and the need to end population growth is increasingly urgent.

"Our own Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett, tells us the world has only six years to act on climate change ," Ms Kanck says. "Ending population growth is an essential part of that action."

Further information/comment: Sandra Kanck 08 8336 4114

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