The role of comprehensive sex education in population control

 

Maybe the most important aspect of sexual education is how it empowers women. An educated woman knows about her body and reproductive rights, which translates to more informed choices in her life. Programs in Mexico showed that educated women motivated themselves to seek healthcare, utilized contraception, and had a clearer sense of control over their life goals. In Pakistan, women with secondary education had roughly two fewer children than women without it. This demographic shift is observed in other countries as well. Educated women in Bangladesh are estimated to have a total fertility rate of 2.2, while uneducated women have a rate of 2.6.

The Economic Case for Intimate Knowledge— Governments make one of the best returns on investment with sexual education, surprising but true! The UNFPA uncovered that for every $1 spent on family planning, there is $1.47 in avoided pregnancy-related care returned. From battling global financial crises to tackling rampant poverty, the benefits are tremendous. Meeting the global contraceptive needs often utilizes family planning, which helps reduce unintended pregnancies, depression, and infant deaths. Preventative measures add to the well-being of mothers too. Strong projections claim to save 215,000 women’s lives each year. Numbers might be the same, but saving all lives, stabilizing families, and making strong communities contribute towards uplifting the nation. Innovation is important in action—countries all over the world have started noticing these relations. China implemented “love education” classes in universities, geared towards healthy relationships. This stemmed from declining birth rates. The western sub-Saharan African countries adopted programs that promoted condom usage, voluntary HIV testing, and even reduced teenage pregnancy rates.


What lies ahead? 

 

World Population Day is observed worldwide, thus recognizing it globally. It is equally important for proper sexual education that empowers people rather than controls the population. Since a child is not solely the product of pleasure, education is ultimately necessary to have the foresight to design a family that fulfills their reproductive desires. Planning without a child becomes more of a burden than the child itself. Therefore, taking responsibility for your sexual desires and family planning is just as crucial as it is for a simple vacation abroad or for everyday tasks.

Sex education is an important tool for managing the population, especially in third-world countries like India. Not much emphasis has been given until now on controlling the population in India because of a variety of factors like religions and politics and other socio-demographic factors. What happened in China 2-3 decades back was that they imposed stricter laws on people having more than one child. Men had to undergo compulsory vasectomies and similar measures to control the population. Today China's population is less than India's population instead of being more for so many decades, and because of controlling the population, there is not much strain on the resources.  I would suggest that instead of doing what China did, it is important to emphasize sex education in India to help prevent unwanted pregnancies and also to understand the burden of bearing children in today's era.