The present study examines social, demographic and behavioural factors that influence contraceptive use and method choice among young Namibian women. The study also explores ways to improve the accessibility of health facilities and family planning services for young women. The research is based on both quantitative and qualitative data provided by the 2000 Namibian Demographic and Health Survey and focus group discussions with young women (15-24 years) respectively. The data have been used to analyse the factors affecting contraceptive use and method choice among young women in Namibia. The logistic regression method has been applied to examine the determinants of contraceptive use and method choice. The study examines knowledge of contraceptive methods and sources of supply, decisions leading to contraceptive use and views about service delivery and the availability of contraceptive methods. The study reveals that whilst there is provision, the accessibility of existing reproductive health services for young women is poor in rural areas. There is a lack of support from parents, nurses, and the broader community. Part of the problem here is that older people are not fully aware of the sexual rights of young women, which leads to misunderstandings with regard to sexual and reproductive health issues. Nurses, especially in rural areas, are deemed to be judgmental and reluctant to provide contraceptives to young female scholars. Health facilities are also ranked by young women as user-unfriendly as most of them, as public spaces, lack confidentiality and privacy. These negative experiences of young women impact on their utilization of reproductive and health services and their use of contraceptives. Levels of contraceptive use among all age groups, including young women, in Namibia are still low. The choice of contraceptive method is restricted to injectables and to some extent, condoms. Uninformed and unsupportive parents are identified as major barriers to young women’s sexual health and their ability to use contraception consistently. Apart from this, individual use of contraception is greatly influenced by individual and community characteristics. The education level, marital status, number of children and work status are important individual factors affecting whether and what kind of contraception young women will use. Other issues related to the individual women concern whether she discusses family planning with her partner or parent, and whether she has access to the media and to health facilities. For example, findings from the multivariate analysis showed that increased education was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of using contraception. Unmarried young women were more likely to use condoms than married women. Higher condom use was also reported among young women of 15-19 years old than among 20-24 year olds. Furthermore, young women in urban areas had more positive attitudes towards using contraceptives, as well as more forthcoming friends and parents than those in the rural areas. The findings thus suggest that government strategies, which aim to increase the use of contraceptives amongst young women in Namibia, ought to enhance and improve parent-child communication, engage young women’s social networks, and seek to counteract negative assumptions of service providers who could potentially cater for a growing number of young women users and also make a range of choices available. / Thesis (DPhil(Sociology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Sociology / DPhil / unrestricted

The objective of this diploma thesis is to describe and to complexly evaluate Chinas one child policy from its introduction in 1979 till its abandonment in 2015. Theoretical part of thesis offers a detailed description of the policy, its application in real life, circumstances and aims that led to the implementation of the policy. Applied part of thesis analyses its effect on the fertility rate, population growth and economic growth. According to the results of this analysis one child policy helped to decline Chinas fertility rate and population growth, however its impact is just partial. The decline of Chinese population growth then contributed to the economic growth; my estimate is that it composed 40 % of average annual growth of real GDP per capita. One child policy is also responsible for raising sex ratio and ageing of population in China. These demographic problems let to its replacement by two child policy that probably wont solve these problems.

This paper aimes to provide a multidimensional view on the topic of the sustainability of the social system in the long run. Psychology together with sociology indicate that the impact of genetic factors on the forming of an individual into a well-ordered member of society with a normal values is much smaller than the impact of the family and its social capital. Social system aspirates to motivate the needed ones to become financially independent again, but this simply does not work. On the other hand in the attempt to increase the household income especially the socially excluded households chose to change their characteristics in order to get the social benefits rather than to enter labour market. One of the most important and relatively easily changable characteristics in this context is the number of unprovided children in the family. Therefore to get a bigger amount of social benefits they have children. To proove the rationality of such behaviour the concept of the consumption unit is used. This concept quantifies the economies of scale in the common household. The result is that while in the typical family the income per consumption unit steadily decreases with the increasing number of children, in the family without any earnings this income approximatly doubles. The financial situation of the poor family improves with the number of children. This has an adverse effect on the society structure in the long run, because it encourages higher birth rate of the groups that do not contribute to the system. It is possible to lower the birth rate in the unfavourable families and increase it in the typical families by changing the rules of computing the benefits. It is necessary to keep the income per consumption unit independent from the number of children. This can be achieved for example by a tax abatement. It is also advisable to connect the social and retirement system in the manner that the amount of the retirement pension would be affected by the amount of money contributed to the system by the children of the retiree.

The thesis deals with development and changes in family behavior in the Czech Republic and selected European countries. First, the thesis explains the concepts of population and family policy. There are big differences how the definitions are viewed in case of these concepts and the relationship of population policy and family policy. Some authors consider population and family policy as identical, other authors strictly separate those two. Another part describes the changes in family behavior in the Czech Republic after 1989. The key part of this thesis is contained in the third chapter. It deals with development and description of the first selected demographic indicators characterizing the family behavior, then the indicators describing the family behavior based on LFS and SILC data. All indicators are monitored in 21 European countries including the Czech Republic. Based on the data received I created cluster analysis for each group of indicators(i.e. for Demographic indicators describing the family behavior and for indicators describing the family behavior based on LFS and SILC data).

Ph.D. (Social Work) / The problem stated by the candidate is twofold: * family planning programmes throughout the world have generally been unsuccessful; * the question arises as to whether social workers can contribute to family planning and population programmes and what such contribution should comprise. Family planning organisers are confronted with various problems when initiating a family planning programme and trying to ensure that it will function effectively - identifying the target group in terms of numbers and demographic and social characteristics; motivating the target group towards active participation in the family planning programme; motivation for active participation in the family planning programme by the target group, and maintaining of the contraceptive regimen by those already engaged in the family planning programme. Official statistics and research findings in respect of the first two problems are available in South Africa; no adequate information exists in regard to the latter problem according to which programme organisers can plan and operate. A review of research on family planning and population programmes conducted in South Africa and other countries was undertaken. This includes a study of the findings of various KAP investigations. An empirical investigation was undertaken on an aspect in the field of study of which there is insufficient knowledge - a study that is an individual contribution towards existing knowledge. On numerous occasions in this thesis it becomes evident that social workers, by virtue of their special knowledge, values and skills, can make a unique and professional contribution to the dissemination of family planning. One of the particular skills of the social worker is that of conducting interviews. The social worker also has the ability to motivate people towards change in their behaviour. The social worker can therefore, through personal interviewing, guidance and motivation of people, contribute to the expansion of the population programme in general and the family planning programme in particular...

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(経済学) / 甲第22949号 / 経博第624号 / 新制||経||294(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院経済学研究科経済学専攻 / (主査)教授 柴田 章久, 准教授 安井 大真, 教授 照山 博司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Economics / Kyoto University / DGAM

This study emphasizes the impact of family planning program components on contraceptive prevalence in less industrialized countries. Building on Lapham and Mauldin's "Program Effort and Fertility Decline" framework and policy evaluation's theory, the author developed two models to examine the impact of family planning programs on contraceptive prevalence and fertility under the constraints of socioeconomic development and demand for family planning. The study employed path analysis and multiple regression on data from the 1982 program effort study in 94 less developed countries (LDCs) by Lapham and Mauldin and 98 LDCs of the 1989 program effort study by Mauldin and Ross. The results of data analyses for all data sets are consistent for the most part. Major findings are as follows: (1) A combination of program effort and socioeconomic development best explains the variation of contraceptive prevalence. (2) Among socioeconomic variables, female literacy exerts the strongest direct and indirect influences to increase contraceptive prevalence and indirect influence to decrease total fertility rate. (3) Christianity performs a significant role in reducing contraceptive prevalence. (4) Among program effort components, availability and accessibility for fertility-control supplies and services have the most influence on contraceptive prevalence. (5) When controlling for demand for family planning, female literacy and Christianity have expected and significant relationships with contraceptive prevalence. Availability and accessibility to fertility-control supplies and services exerts a positive and statistically significant impact on contraceptive prevalence. Demand for family planning has a positive and statistically significant effect on program variables, availability, and contraceptive prevalence. (6) There is a strong inverse relationship between contraceptive use and fertility. Demand for family planning, program effort, and socioeconomic development influence fertility through contraceptive prevalence. The findings of this study suggest that governments in LDCs should give priorities to increasing female education and availability of contraception to effectively reduce fertility.

Utah County, Utah, and more particularly the Utah Valley area, has undergone an enormous change during the last forty years. Rapid growth and urbanization brings with it the problems of urban sprawl. Controlling this sprawl is determined often times by an effective growth policy. Mapping and analyzing growth patterns and trends is a useful method in determining the effectiveness of the "growth towards the cities" policy of Utah County. Research was conducted by using maps, air photos, and field work in locating the growth history of the county.Growth has been influenced by several factors among which are the physical, climatic, and economic make up of the county. It has also been influenced by policies directed to control the growth, not necessarily as to numbers but as to location. These policies have been successful in locating the majority of the increasing urbanization within the cities where services can be provided more economically. Since the county and the cities can grow only where water is available, the major factor in the location of future growth will be the location of water.

Indian population policy in the twentieth century was shaped by a blend of unique Indian concerns about population growth, legacies of British colonialism, and American foreign aid. This blend of influences resulted in the first national family planning program in the world. / Master of Arts

Lui Kin-wai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-171). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter I. --- Abstract --- p.i / Chapter II. --- Acknowledgement --- p.iv / Chapter III. --- Contents --- p.v / Chapter / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Population Policy in PRC --- p.9 / A Historical Review 9; Overview of the Fertility Rate and Population / Growth under the Population Policy in the Chinese Mainland 19; Impacts / of the Population Policy on Gender Issue 22; Conclusion28 / Chapter III. --- Literature Review --- p.47 / International Experience 47; Studies of Gender Preference in the Chinese / Mainland 53; Conclusion62 / Chapter IV. --- Methodology and data --- p.67 / Theoretical framework: Gender Preference from the Economic Perspective / 67; Econometrics Models 75; Data95 / Chapter V. --- Estimated Results --- p.107 / Proxies for Gender Preference 107; Estimated Results of Model 1109; / Estimated Results of Model 2 116; Conclusion for the Estimated Results / Chapter VI. --- Conclusion --- p.132 / Appendix / Chapter 1. --- Definition of Indicators --- p.138 / Chapter 2. --- Multinomial Logit model --- p.141 / Chapter 3. --- Different Model Specifications --- p.144 / Different Model Specifications for Model 1 144; Different Model / Specifications for Model2 152 / Reference --- p.158