How does education affect fertility rates in different places?
The education of women plays a significant role in the issue of population growth. Many studies have found a significant correlation between education and fertility – as literacy improves, fertility rates tend to decrease (Figure 2). Other studies show that fertility rates tend to be lower in countries where women have access to decent jobs, good health care, and family planning resources – all attributes of economic development. Figure 2. Women’s education and family size in selected countries, 1990s (Population Reference Bureau 2001). There can be large disparities in fertility and literacy rates between the developed and developing regions of the world (Figures 3 and 4). Although overall access to basic education has been on the rise in many developing countries, the poor are still less likely to have access to education. In many countries, most children from the poorest households have no schooling. While the “gender gap” in education has narrowed over the last decade, many inequit
