Mearlyn Jones Sociology 2418th October
Mearlyn Jones
Sociology 2418th October, 2018.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Neo-Malthusian theory of population in explaining issues confronting Caribbean societies
According to Thomas Robert Malthus the theory of population growth “if human population was allowed to increase in an uncontrolled way, then the number of people will increase at a faster rate than the food supply .Population implies to the total number of organisms inhabiting in a particular place. Growth of human population has become a cause of concern in many parts of the world, mainly in the poor countries in the Caribbean. On the other hand, there are places where the rate of population is very low. A growing population can result in housing, food shortage and increase in unemployment.
As the population grows the opportunity for quality, available housing may become an issue where people are crowded; a less space is not a good combination in any locality. As space is taken up, it become more valuable. Eventually, it begins to affects to poorest in the area .In the long run the effect of population growth may be substandard housing or homelessness. In addition to this access to food and clean water may be the main issue. This is an even more immediate problem than housing. As more people are faced with unsanitary source of food, disease and famine begin to take root. If left unaffected, it will sweep through an entire population.in some cases entire Caribbean countries may be affected by the situation. . According to Thomas Malthus, disease, food shortage, and death due to starvation, were nature’s way to control population .He proposed that human being adopt measures like infanticide, abortion, delay in marriage and strict following of celibacy to check population growth. Another weakness of population growth is an increase in unemployment. A fast growth in population means a large number of persons coming to the labour market for which it may not be possible to provide employment. In fact, in the Caribbean countries, the number of job seekers is expanding so fast that despite all efforts towards planned development, it has not been possible to provide employment to all. Unemployment, underemployment and disguised employment are common features in these countries. The rapidly rising population makes it almost impossible for Caribbean countries to solve their problem of unemployment.
Apart from the many weaknesses that population growth progresses they’re some strength which includes Economic growth, Industrial, Medical, and Agricultural Innovation. A growing population can generate economic growth. The birth of more people equates to a greater number of parents investing in their youth. Increased purchases in products such as food, clothing, education-related expenses, sporting goods and toys feed the economy. Parents with small children purchase larger homes with more bedrooms and bathrooms to ensure they have enough room for their children. Construction of larger homes feed the building and home improvement industries economically. As the population grows, so does economic spending. Secondly many of the world’s most remarkable innovations over the past 200 years are attributable to population growth. Even more great minds lead to more innovations. Assembly-line manufacturing itself is an adaptation to an increasing population and the need for greater and faster output. More people around the world are living longer lives than even a century earlier thanks to modern medical achievements. And while agricultural resources are a very real concern as the world’s population grows, the world’s increase in population is responsible for a greater consciousness of the need for additional resources as well as the innovations to produce food at the pace of population growth.
People must understand the importance of controlling the population. It would not only give them a clean and green environment and a better standard of living but will also help in the overall development of countries mainly with in the Caribbean. The government must also take this matter seriously and put proper rules and policies in place to ensure population control. Both the public and the government require working together to control this problem.
Bibliography:
http://www.sociologydiscussion.com/population/notes-on-neo-malthusian-theory-of-population/1119https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/malthusian-theory-population-criticisms-applicability-sultan-zafar
