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Population Council

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Articles 1621 - 1650 of 1887

Full-Text Articles in Family, Life Course, and Society

Population Policy: A Concise Summary, Paul Demeny Jan 2003

Population Policy: A Concise Summary, Paul Demeny

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Population policies are deliberately constructed or modified institutional arrangements and/or specific programs through which governments influence, directly or indirectly, demographic change. For any given country, the aim of population policy may be narrowly construed as bringing about quantitative changes in the membership of the territorially circumscribed population under the government’s jurisdiction. Governments’ concern with population matters can also extend beyond the borders of their own jurisdictions. Thus, international aspects of population policy have become increasingly salient in the contemporary world. Additions to the population are primarily the result of individual decisions concerning childbearing. Within the constraints of their social milieu, …

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Completing The Fertility Transition In The Developing World: The Role Of Educational Differences And Fertility Preferences [Arabic], John Bongaarts Jan 2003

Completing The Fertility Transition In The Developing World: The Role Of Educational Differences And Fertility Preferences [Arabic], John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study summarizes patterns of educational differentials in wanted and unwanted fertility at different stages of the fertility transition based on data from DHS surveys in 57 less developed countries. As the transition proceeds, educational differentials in wanted fertility tend to decline and differentials in unwanted fertility tend to rise. An assessment of fertility patterns in more and less developed countries with low fertility concludes that these differentials are likely to remain substantial when less developed countries reach the end of their transitions. This finding implies that the educational composition of the population remains a key predictor of overall fertility …

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Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman Jan 2003

Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history, the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling, age, and assets at marriage for both men and women, and spousal differences in these variables in six countries-Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa-using comparable data sets and methodologies.

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Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2003

Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores the consistency in reporting of sexual behavior in a household survey of adolescents aged 15-21 in the Kisumu district of Kenya. Respondents were randomly assigned to different interviewing modes: face-to-face interviews, paper-and-pencil self-administered interviews, and audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). The analysis focuses on the reporting of sexual behavior by adolescent girls in the face-to-face and ACASI modes and compares responses to a variety of questions about sexual activity, including sexual initiation, risky sexual behavior, and coerced sex. All sexual behavior questions were asked of each adolescent girl even if she answered “no” to the initial question about …

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Women's Denial Of Having Experienced Female Genital Cutting In Northern Ghana: Explanatory Factors And Consequences For Analysis Of Survey Data, Elizabeth F. Jackson, Patricia Akweongo, Evelyn Sakeah, Abraham Hodgson, Rofina Asuru, James F. Phillips Jan 2003

Women's Denial Of Having Experienced Female Genital Cutting In Northern Ghana: Explanatory Factors And Consequences For Analysis Of Survey Data, Elizabeth F. Jackson, Patricia Akweongo, Evelyn Sakeah, Abraham Hodgson, Rofina Asuru, James F. Phillips

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although many cross-sectional social surveys have included questions about female genital cutting status and correlated personal characteristics, no longitudinal studies have been launched that permit investigation of response biases associated with such surveys. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of women aged 15 to 49 in rural northern Ghana. The self-reported circumcision status of women interviewed in 1995 was compared with the status they reported when they were interviewed again in 2000 after the government began enforcing a law banning the practice and public information campaigns against it were launched. In all, 13 percent of respondents who reported in …

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Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries [Arabic], Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman Jan 2003

Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries [Arabic], Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history, the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling, age, and assets at marriage for both men and women, and spousal differences in these variables in six countries-Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa-using comparable data sets and methodologies.

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Evaluating Operations Research Utilization: Guidelines For Assessing Process And Impact, M. Celeste Marin, Jane T. Bertrand Jan 2003

Evaluating Operations Research Utilization: Guidelines For Assessing Process And Impact, M. Celeste Marin, Jane T. Bertrand

Reproductive Health

The Population Council has been providing technical assistance and conducting Operations Research (OR) studies in family planning and reproductive health for over two decades. These studies are designed to identify problems and test strategies to resolve those problems, providing program managers, administrators, and policymakers with the information they need to improve service-delivery systems. The ultimate goal is that strategies tested through OR will be adopted, leading to changes in policy or operational procedures at institutional, national, or international levels. These changes are what we refer to as impact. The purpose of the new approach to evaluation described in this Evaluation …

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Cultural Norms And Behavior Regarding Vaginal Lubrication During Sex: Implications For The Acceptability Of Vaginal Microbicides For The Prevention Of Hiv/Stis, Sarah Braunstein, Janneke Van De Wijgert Jan 2003

Cultural Norms And Behavior Regarding Vaginal Lubrication During Sex: Implications For The Acceptability Of Vaginal Microbicides For The Prevention Of Hiv/Stis, Sarah Braunstein, Janneke Van De Wijgert

Reproductive Health

This paper presents the results of an extensive review of the literature pertaining to the relationship between vaginal lubrication and the acceptability of microbicides, spermicides, and male and female condoms. The review highlights the need for research that better elucidates norms, preferences, and practices regarding lubrication during sex within and across countries. The second part of the report presents the results of the first phase of a qualitative study on lubrication during sex showing that diverse personal and cultural factors shape preferences and practices and may ultimately affect the acceptability of microbicides. The immediate challenge is to provide women with …

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Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences Of Young People: A Review Of The Evidence From Developing Countries, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sarah Bott Jan 2003

Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences Of Young People: A Review Of The Evidence From Developing Countries, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sarah Bott

Reproductive Health

Although there is increasing evidence of risky consensual sex among young people in developing countries, non-consensual sexual experiences among them have rarely been studied and few interventions have been designed to protect them from the risks of such experiences. However, what is available suggests that coercion and unwantedness may play a considerable role in the sexual relations of young people—girls and young women but also boys and young men. The implications of non-consensual sexual experiences for young people’s rights, their health and development and the risks they pose in the transition to adulthood are enormous. This review collates what is …

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Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya Jan 2003

Changing Family Planning Scenario In India: An Overview Of Recent Evidence, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Over the decades, there has been a substantial increase in contraceptive use in India. The direction, emphasis and strategies of the Family Welfare Programme have changed over time. However, meeting the contraceptive needs of considerable proportions of women and men and improving the quality of family planning services continue to be a challenge. The 1990s witnessed a growing recognition of this, and several innovative policy and programme initiatives have been launched to address these issues. This paper reviews and synthesises evidence from surveys and studies conducted in the 1990s and thereafter on contraceptive use dynamics and the unmet need for …

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Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian Jan 2003

Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian

Reproductive Health

This paper synthesises the evidence on the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, and explores what we know about underlying factors that place them at risk of or protect them from unsafe and unwanted sexual and reproductive health experiences. The picture that emerges suggests that substantial proportions of young people experience risky or unwanted sexual activity, do not receive prompt or appropriate care, and experience adverse reproductive health outcomes. Contextual factors such as poverty, gender imbalances and lack of education or livelihood opportunities clearly increase the vulnerability of youth. Other factors at the family, community and …

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Hiv/Aids Prevention Guidance For Reproductive Health Professionals In Developing-Country Settings, Helen Epstein, Daniel Whelan, Janneke Van De Wijgert, Purnima Mane, Suman Mehta Jan 2002

Hiv/Aids Prevention Guidance For Reproductive Health Professionals In Developing-Country Settings, Helen Epstein, Daniel Whelan, Janneke Van De Wijgert, Purnima Mane, Suman Mehta

HIV and AIDS

While the integration of information, technologies, and services to respond to HIV/AIDS may seem closely related, there are a variety of issues that continue to create obstacles to integration. Among these are the stigmatizing nature of HIV infection and AIDS and discrimination faced by those who are infected or perceived to be infected; sexual practices and identities that remain socially unacceptable; gender roles and relations that make it difficult for women and men to access information, services, and technologies on HIV prevention; reluctance to recognize the special needs of young people; and barriers to service delivery created by broader economic, …

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Ndola Demonstration Project: A Midterm Analysis Of Lessons Learned, Horizons Program Jan 2002

Ndola Demonstration Project: A Midterm Analysis Of Lessons Learned, Horizons Program

HIV and AIDS

This report summarizes baseline and midterm findings of an intervention pilot study conducted by Horizons, LINKAGES, National Food and Nutrition Commission, District Health Management Team, Hope Humana, and the Zambia Integrated Health Program in Ndola District, Zambia. The aim of the research is to investigate how integrating services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMCT) of HIV into low-resource maternal and child health (MCH) and antenatal care (ANC) settings influences women’s ability to make and implement informed decisions about HIV. The intervention strengthened routine services and introduced HIV voluntary counseling and testing and PMCT counseling and services into the MCH/ANC …

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Frontiers Capacity Building: An Overview, James R. Foreit Jan 2002

Frontiers Capacity Building: An Overview, James R. Foreit

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program is a cooperative agreement with USAID to improve family planning and reproductive health service delivery through operations research (OR). Frontiers builds on more than 20 years of research to improve family planning service delivery programs. A major goal of Frontiers is to transfer skills in OR so that public and private agencies in developing countries can conduct OR and apply research findings to reproductive health programs and policies. OR addresses problems in operational effectiveness, access, quality, and efficiency by investigating facets of programs that managers can control and change. As concluded in …

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Letting Girls Play: The Mathare Youth Sports Association's Football Program For Girls, Martha Brady, Arjmand Banu Khan Jan 2002

Letting Girls Play: The Mathare Youth Sports Association's Football Program For Girls, Martha Brady, Arjmand Banu Khan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This case study documents for the first time the process of integrating girls into a community-based youth sports program. It tells the story about the power that is unleashed when girls are given the opportunity to play. The authors describe how the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), begun in 1987 as a self-help club for boys that linked sports and environmental improvement, has evolved into a successful program that provides new opportunities for boys and girls alike in the poorest neighborhoods of Nairobi.

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Living Arrangements And Socio-Demographic Conditions Of Older Adults In Cambodia, Zachary Zimmer, Sovan Kiry Kim Jan 2002

Living Arrangements And Socio-Demographic Conditions Of Older Adults In Cambodia, Zachary Zimmer, Sovan Kiry Kim

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Since the takeover of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, analysis of social conditions in the country has been lacking. Only recently has dependable socio-demographic data become available. We use some of these data to examine living arrangements and other socio-demographic conditions among Cambodia’s older population and compare results to those recently found in Thailand and Vietnam. On balance, living arrangements in Cambodia are similar to those in neighboring countries. Older adults are likely to be living with a grown child and in a variety of arrangements involving different family members. To determine gender preference for coresident children we …

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Changes In Functional Limitations And Survival Among The Elderly In Taiwan: 1993, 1996, And 1999, Zachary Zimmer, Linda G. Martin, Ming-Cheng Chang Jan 2002

Changes In Functional Limitations And Survival Among The Elderly In Taiwan: 1993, 1996, And 1999, Zachary Zimmer, Linda G. Martin, Ming-Cheng Chang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper focuses on changes in the prevalence of functional limitations among nationally representative samples of adults aged 65 and older in Taiwan as measured in 1993, 1996, and 1999. Using data from the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan, we investigate changes in difficulties walking and climbing stairs, two tasks that represent basic lower body movements that are less likely to be influenced by changes in living environments and social roles than are activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Results are shown for both unadjusted prevalence rates and rates adjusted …

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How Community Structures Of Time And Opportunity Shape Adolescent Sexual Behavior In South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Shelley Clark, Ntsiki Manzini, Julian May Jan 2002

How Community Structures Of Time And Opportunity Shape Adolescent Sexual Behavior In South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Shelley Clark, Ntsiki Manzini, Julian May

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Recently, South Africa has led the world in rates of HIV/AIDS infection. Particularly among young adults, the prevalence of HIV has soared, now reaching 25 percent. The statistics suggest a high level of unprotected sex and risky sexual behavior even in the midst of high levels of knowledge. Research has focused on the dynamics of individuals’ and partners’ sexual decisionmaking. Little is known, however, about the larger context in which those decisions are made. What are the everyday experiences that influence risk-taking? Are young people with little to do more likely to engage in risky behavior? Do community opportunities of …

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The Elderly And Aids: Coping Strategies And Health Consequences In Rural Tanzania, Julia Dayton, Martha Ainsworth Jan 2002

The Elderly And Aids: Coping Strategies And Health Consequences In Rural Tanzania, Julia Dayton, Martha Ainsworth

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The elderly are often especially likely to be adversely affected by the death from AIDS of prime-aged adults. The authors use a longitudinal survey of households from northwestern Tanzania in 1991-94 to compare the activities and wellbeing of the elderly in households before and after the death of a prime-aged adult with those of the elderly in households that did not experience the death of an adult. A significant proportion of adults suffering from AIDS return to their parents’ home shortly before death. Time spent by the elderly performing household chores rises following an adult’s death, and their participation in …

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Pregnant Or Positive: Adolescent Childbearing And Hiv Risk In South Africa, Naomi Rutenberg, Carol E. Kaufman, Kate Macintyre, Lisanne Brown, Ali Mehyrar Karim Jan 2002

Pregnant Or Positive: Adolescent Childbearing And Hiv Risk In South Africa, Naomi Rutenberg, Carol E. Kaufman, Kate Macintyre, Lisanne Brown, Ali Mehyrar Karim

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In communities where early age of childbearing is common and HIV prevalence is high, adolescent boys and girls may place themselves at risk of HIV to realize their childbearing preferences. In this paper, we analyze survey data from Kwa-Zulu-Natal province that explores whether an association exists between pregnancy preferences and behavioral and perceptual measures of HIV risk among adolescents in South Africa. Our analysis is based on data from 1,426 sexually active respondents aged 14-22 who participated in wave 1 of the “Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of AIDS in South Africa” study. We use logistic regression to model …

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Premarital Sex In Vietnam: Is The Current Concern With Adolescent Reproductive Health Warranted?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Dang Nguyen Anh Jan 2002

Premarital Sex In Vietnam: Is The Current Concern With Adolescent Reproductive Health Warranted?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Dang Nguyen Anh

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To the extent that research on Vietnamese adolescents has been conducted, it has been concerned with unprotected and unsanctioned sexual activity and its health consequences, namely abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV. The question we pose is whether this concern is warranted. Is the population community justified in focusing its attention on early sexual activity and HIV risk? Even if the sexual behavior of young people can be considered problematic, are there perhaps other aspects of young people’s lives that should give us greater pause? The paper reviews the literature on adolescent sexual behavior in Vietnam and analyzes data …

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The Effect Of Gender Differences In Primary School Access, Type, And Quality On The Decision To Enroll In Rural Pakistan, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Cem Mete, Zeba Sathar Jan 2002

The Effect Of Gender Differences In Primary School Access, Type, And Quality On The Decision To Enroll In Rural Pakistan, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Cem Mete, Zeba Sathar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The paper explores the effect of primary school access, type, and quality on the decision to enroll in rural Pakistan using a 1997 survey especially designed for this purpose. A unique contribution of the paper is the construction of gender-specific dimensions of school accessibility and school quality according to school type (i.e., public vs. private). Within the same village, girls and boys often face starkly different options for schooling in terms of distance, type, and quality. Public primary schools are segregated by sex; private schools, whose numbers have grown rapidly in recent years in response to rising demand and the …

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'Bus Fare, Please': The Economics Of Sex And Gifts Among Adolescents In Urban South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Stavros E. Stavrou Jan 2002

'Bus Fare, Please': The Economics Of Sex And Gifts Among Adolescents In Urban South Africa, Carol E. Kaufman, Stavros E. Stavrou

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Force or coercion are often a part of sexual relationships in South Africa, especially among adolescents. This coercion is also often pinioned by an economic exchange: gifts or favours for sex. Studies have pointed out the negative consequences of the exchanges which are often characterised by large age differences (‘sugar daddies’) or power imbalances. Perhaps more pervasive but largely ignored, gift-giving in same-age relationships also may be associated with sexual leverage, an exchange which somehow entitles one partner physical and sexual rights to the other’s body. The circumstances surrounding gifts and favours may shape young women’s and men’s sexual experiences, …

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Social Organization And Reproductive Behavior In Southern Ghana, Dominic K. Agyeman, John B. Casterline Jan 2002

Social Organization And Reproductive Behavior In Southern Ghana, Dominic K. Agyeman, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The objective of this research is to examine the association between social organization and reproductive behavior in one setting in sub-Saharan Africa. The particular focus is on the effects of social organization on the diffusion of innovative reproductive ideas and behaviors. Social diffusion is assumed to be strongly affected by patterns of informal social interaction, and these in turn are assumed to be determined in part by the social organization of local communities (gender relations, employment activity, voluntary organizations). The research draws on data collected in six communities in southern Ghana. The analysis reveals a weaker than expected association between …

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Universal Sexuality Education In Mongolia: Educating Today To Protect Tomorrow, Delia Barcelona, Laura Laski, Caitlin Gerdts Jan 2002

Universal Sexuality Education In Mongolia: Educating Today To Protect Tomorrow, Delia Barcelona, Laura Laski, Caitlin Gerdts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité demonstrates how Mongolia developed a national plan to a provide a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health curriculum and media for adolescents. Among the lessons learned from the Mongolian experience were the following: 1) questions about unwanted sexual relations and sexual roles were the most pressing among adolescents, especially girls; 2) printed media are efficient and inexpensive; and 3) parental opposition was almost nonexistent in certain settings—often they expressed gratitude for this education.

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Are We Not Peasants Too? Land Rights And Women's Claims In India, Bina Agarwal Jan 2002

Are We Not Peasants Too? Land Rights And Women's Claims In India, Bina Agarwal

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of SEEDS explores the critical elements in securing effective and independent land rights for women in South Asia. The author presents a range of cooperative strategies for enabling women to retain and cultivate the land and shows how micro-credit and other programs can be redirected to increase the amount and productivity of land women control. Recognizing that new policies and political will are required to foster and sustain such experiments, the author ends with a summary of how women are organizing to place women’s access to land at the center of national and global agendas.

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Kenya: Community Sensitization Must Precede Alternative Coming-Of-Age Rite, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2002

Kenya: Community Sensitization Must Precede Alternative Coming-Of-Age Rite, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced as a rite of passage in over half of Kenya’s districts. Kenyan nongovernmental agency Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO) has long conducted community sensitization focused on discouraging this practice. In 1996, MYWO began implementing the “alternative rite” (AR) intervention in sensitized communities. Girls participating in AR receive family life education in seclusion, followed by a public graduation ceremony recognizing them as adults. They are not cut as part of the ceremony. In 2000, the Population Council carried out an assessment of the AR program that sought to identify the impact of MYWO’s activities on knowledge …

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How Long Do We Live?, John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney Jan 2002

How Long Do We Live?, John Bongaarts, Griffith Feeney

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Period life expectancy is calculated from age-specific death rates using life table methods that are among the oldest and most fundamental tools of demography. These methods are rarely questioned, much less criticized. Yet changing age patterns of adult mortality in contemporary countries with high life expectancy provide a basis for questioning the conventional use of age-specific death rates and life tables. This paper argues that when the mean age at death is rising, period life expectancy at birth as conventionally calculated overestimates life expectancy. Estimates of this upward bias, ranging from 1.6 years for the United States and Sweden to …

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The End Of The Fertility Transition In The Developing World, John Bongaarts Jan 2002

The End Of The Fertility Transition In The Developing World, John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Fertility declines are now underway in many developing countries, and the focus of the debate about future fertility trends is shifting from the early to the later phases of the transition. This study examines patterns and determinants of fertility in the developing world using UN estimates of the total fertility rates for 143 developing countries from 1950 to 2000. The main objective is to identify regularities in the past record that may provide clues to future trends. Three key findings emerge from this analysis. First, the pace of fertility decline decelerates as countries reach the later stages of the transition. …

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Training And Support Of Developing-Country Population Scientists: A Panel Report, Jane Menken, Ann K. Blanc, Cynthia B. Lloyd Jan 2002

Training And Support Of Developing-Country Population Scientists: A Panel Report, Jane Menken, Ann K. Blanc, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report offers an assessment of the current situation and needs for the future with regard to training population professionals. As the concerns of population scientists become more diverse and as institutions look beyond the limitations of their own programs, collaborative training programs are increasingly seen as an effective means of maximizing the training experience of students while potentially lowering overall costs. While it is clear that the most desirable situation is one in which population experts are trained primarily in high-quality institutions located in their own countries or regions, it is equally clear that this scenario is not likely …

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