GEOG 240 Topic 6 - Population Patterns in

Asia-Pacific

Francis Yee

Camsoun College

Outline

I. Population Growth

II. Demographic Characteristics and Changes

III. Population in China

IV. Women and Gender Issues

I. Population Growth

A. Population Distribution

B. Population Growth

A. Population Distribution

• uneven and dominated by China, Indonesia and Japan.

• Share of world by E & SE Asia = 31% in 2013

Uneven Regional distribution

• high density in coastal region of China but low in interior

B. Population Growth – resulted primarily from natural growth in Asia

Population Growth = natural growth + net migration

• Natural Growth = Births - Deaths

• Net international Migration = immigrants – emigrants

Population Growth: the growth rates in many Asian countries reduced by half in the past two decades &

below world average of 1.2%

0.7

1.61.4

2.6

3.9

0.0

0.5 0.5

1.7

1.1

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Japan S. Korea China Malaysia Cambodia

Ave

rage

Ann

ual

Gro

wth

Rat

es (

%)

Countries

Population Growth in Asia 1980-2010

1980-85 2005-10

Source: UNESCAP 2012.

Regional variations in population

growth: E Asia (0.5%) grew at a rate lower than world average

while SE Asia (1.2%) was at par

• Negative growth: Japan• Low growth (<1%):

– China, S. Korea, N. Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, Singapore

• Moderate Growth (1%-2%)– Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos,

Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Vietnam • High Growth (>2.0%):

– Timor

China’s Population Clockhttp://countrymeters.info/en/China/

Net Migration: large net outflow of migrants (8 million in 2005-10); most out-migration from low income to

high-income countries

• Net loss (2005-10• ): China (-4 m),

Philippines (-2.6 m), Indonesia (-2.6 m), Burma (-1 m)

• Net increase: Singapore (+1.5m),

• Thailand (+1 m), Japan (+0.5 m),

Migrant workers in Hong Kong protesting wage cuts (Photo by F. Yee, 2002)

II. Demographic Characteristics

• A. Natural Growth:

1. E Asia: 0.5% (below world average of 1.2%) as its birth rate was lower

2. SE Asia: 1.3% (slightly above world average) due to a younger population

2. Total Fertility Rate (no. of children per woman)

• Rapid decline of TFR (1980-2013): reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 in E Asia and from 4.5 to 2.1 in SE Asia

• Lower than world average (2.4 in 2013) in all except Timor, the Philippines, Mongolia, Laos, and Malaysia

A rural community in N. Burma (photo by F. Yee 2005)

Population Replacement – is reached when TFR=2.1 (a country’s population will be

approximately the same in the next generation)

• Most countries are below replacement Level (TFR >2.1) except is expanding in Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Timor,

• Low TFR in: Hong Kong was 1.2, Macao 1.3, Japan 1.5

Hong Kong has a high population density but also has the lowest total fertility rate in the world (photo of a commercial district in Hong Kong by F. Yee, 2008)

Significance of Children

• Culture: Continuity of family lineage, source of pride, and sustain the group

• Economic: guardianship of property, source of labour in family, support old age families

• Confucianism: not having children is considered not observing filial piety

C. Infant Mortality Rate: more rapid decline and lower rate in Asia than in other developing countries

• IMR: 12 in East Asia and 23 in SE Asia [world average 29). Above average in Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor, Laos

D. HIV/AIDS: lower prevalence than world average except Thailand but rapid increase in Indonesia,

Laos and the Philippines (>500% increase during 2000-2009)

A billboard in Ho Chi Minh City to raise awareness about AIDS (photo by F. Yee 2010)

AIDS

• Total # of people infected by HIV: 2.3 million • Prevalence Rate (2009): 0.1% in E Asia and 0.4% in SE Asia (lower

than the world average of 0.8%)• Rapid Increase in Prevalence: Indonesia, Laos, and the Philippines.• Reponses:

– Programs: Thailand, Burma and Cambodia initiated programs to reduce HIV prevalence; Thailand adopted a 100% condom Program in brothels

– Anti-retroviral drugs – access is still a problem as it remains too expensive for many poor people

– Open admission: despite early reluctance, China initiated major campaigns to promote use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS

E. Age Structure

• Young population (>30% under 15): Timor, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia

Aging Population

• Aging population in 2010 (65+): Japan (23%), Hong Kong (13%), Korea (11%) compared to world average of 8%

A sign indicating an aging population in parts of Sydney, Australia (Photo by F. Yee, 2007)

Dependency Ratio (# of dependents/working population)

• To measure the burden or the number of dependents (young and old) each working person (16-64) will have to support

• High dependency ratio – Timor, Philippines and Laos (due to high % in young dependents) while Japan has a high % in old dependents

F. Demographic Transition Factors

• Government: stable political systems and active government population policies

• Health Services: preventive health measures and family planning (e.g. in late 1960s in Singapore, Thailand and 1970s in China)

• Social infrastructure: education, employment, urban migration

III A. Population Theories

• Malthus (1798): – population growth > food production– Doomsday scenario (war, poverty and famine)

• Neo-Malthus– Despite falling fertility, absolute numbers of

people continued to increase– Exhaust natural resources– Increase environmental degradation

B. Population Policies in China

• Early Development (1949-1962)– abortion and birth control legalized; Malthus and population

control criticized; large families received more food• Economic Readjustment (62-66)

– late marriage, two children family promoted; Family Planning offices established with urban focus

• Cultural Revolution (70-76)– encouraged “later, longer, fewer”, two children family; family

planning set up in rural areas

Population Policies in China• Economic Reform (79-90s)

– one child family (rigidly implemented with both incentives and disincentives) – a Neo-Malthus approach

•  Post-1990s– Relaxed policies (rural families allowed to have a second child

under certain conditions)

“Control population growth allows social development” is the official position in China (photo in Dongguan, Guangdong Province by F. Yee 2005)

Population Growth & Policies in China

50-55 55-60 60-65 65-70 70-75 75-80 80-85 85-90 90-95 95-00 00-05 05-10China 2.0 1.6 1.5 2.7 2.3 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.5world 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.2

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Population Growth Rates in China, 1950-2010 )

China

world

Source: UN Population Division 2012

Rapid Growth

Early Family Planning

One Child Policy

Policy relaxation

IV. Gender and Women in AsiaA. Patriarchy society

– family structures focus on male power– Men dominate social, economic, and politcal

realms– Females forced into subordinated roles and

statutes– Embedded more deeply in rural areas

B. Gender roles

– Socially constructed with unequal gender roles in society– Unequal power, decisions, and access to education, employment,

inheritance, marriage, childbearing as well as land or resources – Men are often considered as smarter and more productive than

women – Girls start to work at a younger age and brought up as mother by

tending younger siblings, – Females have less access to food and often the last to eat

C. Marriages and Births

– Marriages: often arranged and at young age in parts of Asia• Dowry: large sums of cash and materials goods or land and cattle to be paid

by a girl’s family to the groom’s family• Bride Price: a payment made by the groom’s family to the bride’s family to

compensate for loss of labour and fertility and based on the perceived monetary value of women

– Births: • Sex-selective abortions: legally prohibited in both India and China to reduce

the preference of sons over daughters but still practiced• Female infanticide: increased in China during the one child policy program

D. Education and Literacy• Large variations in literacy rate in some countries:

Cambodia (68% female and 865 male)• Accessibility: in China many girls enrolled but did not

attend school

A slogan to highlight the importance of “Caring about girls today is caring about Chinese people’s future” (photo in Sichuan by F. Yee, 2007).

E. Sexual Exploitation of Women

• Prostitution: many women and children were forced to work as prostitutes in Asia (800,000 in Thailand) due to poverty

• Human trafficking: many women and girls were imported for purposes of sex when local women are not readily available– Countries did not comply with Trafficking Protection Act: Malaysia,

Burma, North Korea • Sex Tourism: globalization increased sex tourism where brothels are

widely available for both individuals and groups • Prostitution in China: estimated to be as high as 10 million

prostitutes; many became “second wife” of wealthy businessmen, the open door policy also increased prostitutes in open cities

• AIDS: increasing prevalence rate in some countries partly due to prostitution

• (Weightman, 2012)

Campaign to stop HIV & AIDS

A banner to overcome the stigma and discrimination of HIV and AIDS victims in Bandung, Indonesia (photo by F. Yee 2012)

Readings

• Weightman, ch. 3.