How and Why is Sri Lanka at the Forefront Among South Asian Nations in Solving its Population Dilemmas?
Jan Brunson, ’99 and Prof. Victoria Baker, Eckerd College This study attempts to identify the factors that contribute to Sri Lanka’s record of low fertility rates. It describes the structure of national family planning programs and demographic statistics. The main focus is on the influence of women on fertility rates in the context of a small rural village: their status in the social structure, their level of education, and the contribution to subsistence through work or income. The responses of thirty married women reveal that the education of women is not a factor in this case. The high value placed on the education of their children causes them to limit the number of children they produce. Women have relatively equal status to men in the village; and in most cases they are sources of income for the family. This fact and the availability of contraceptives and sterilization allow them to control the number of offspring. Through the research experience in Sri Lanka, I discovered how it
