Fertility
The percentage of fertility in a region is affected by many factors, but two of these factors have a greater impact on this percentage in many developing countries than the others. These factors are the female literacy rate and the availability and proper use of contraceptives within the country. A high percentage of women are not entitled to an education, which means they do not have the proper tools to successfully build a family safely and responsibly. Instead many women in developing countries have unwanted pregnancies that can be harmful if they are not given proper care which is the case in most developing countries.
The percent of women over the age of 15 years of age who are illiterate is 42%(Empowering Women), many of them living in countries with little or no social services such as an education or health care. An example is shown in the table above, where Burkina Faso has a female literacy rate of only 15.2% and very high birth and death rate. Many of these women have been denied the right to an education starting at a young age due to not being able to enroll because of the fees or accessibility or have been forced to drop out to help take care of the family, home or get a job to provide an income for the family (Obstacles to Education). Due to cuts in government provided services in developing countries, the education that some women and girls receive is the bare minimal for them to survive, but not enough for them to move forward economically (Geographies of Global Change). This is an endless cycle and affects the percentage of fertility greatly because as the percentage of female illiteracy increase so does the percentage of fertility. This means that when more women are denied an education or proper health care due to lack of social services in their country, the more unwanted and unplanned pregnancies occur which creates the high birth rate in developing countries. This leads into the use and distribution of contraceptives to women.
The percent of women over the age of 15 years of age who are illiterate is 42%(Empowering Women), many of them living in countries with little or no social services such as an education or health care. An example is shown in the table above, where Burkina Faso has a female literacy rate of only 15.2% and very high birth and death rate. Many of these women have been denied the right to an education starting at a young age due to not being able to enroll because of the fees or accessibility or have been forced to drop out to help take care of the family, home or get a job to provide an income for the family (Obstacles to Education). Due to cuts in government provided services in developing countries, the education that some women and girls receive is the bare minimal for them to survive, but not enough for them to move forward economically (Geographies of Global Change). This is an endless cycle and affects the percentage of fertility greatly because as the percentage of female illiteracy increase so does the percentage of fertility. This means that when more women are denied an education or proper health care due to lack of social services in their country, the more unwanted and unplanned pregnancies occur which creates the high birth rate in developing countries. This leads into the use and distribution of contraceptives to women.