. It is apparent the world’s population was once very small, it is also very clear that growth did not take place at a steady rate – it seems to be growing faster all the time! And this rapid growth causes some of the biggest challenges that governments have to face.
Any change in numbers have a bearing on human beings. When a baby is born it involves certain changes for the family. If it happens to be twins or triplets, the effects are even bigger. Space might become a problem, the grocery bills go up; families who own a car, suddenly find the car much too small, and so one could go on naming the effects of an increase in numbers.
The (rapid) growth in the population of a village, city, region or country, confronts governments with new challenges – whether on a municipal, provincial or national level. In the same way that the head of a family must make immediate adjustments when the family expands, the municipality has to do the same.
Activity 4:
To discuss in groups the challenges for municipalities arising from increases in the population
[lo 3.1]
a) Divide your class or workgroup into two – one group choosing a
village , and the other a
big city . Discuss whatever challenges the municipality would have to face if the population (inhabitants in this case) were to
double in five years’ time .
- Now that you have completed
Activity 4 , you most probably realise that a change in the population is not to be taken lightly! The change that you have focussed on in Activity 4, was population
growth or increase, a matter which is not difficult to understand. Please remember that a doubling of the population in any municipal area within a period of ten years is very high, and rather exceptional. An influx of people to a smaller area inside a large municipal area would be more likely.
- However, a change in the population involves much more than an increase or decrease!
- Populations might also “
age ”, or even become “
younger ”; the
life
expectancy of the inhabitants might grow
higher ; the
death rate might drop; the
fertility might
increase , and so forth. Changes of this nature do not come about on their own – one change leads to another, e.g. if the
mortality rate
drops , the
life expectancy is raised . Similarly, the population or community will become
younger when the
fertility of the inhabitants increases. Also keep in mind that this is a
slow process; these changes take place over a
long period of time !
- You should also realise that, when large numbers of people move (relocate) to a different area, not only does it affect the area where they arrive – the population in the area which they have left behind also changes! If a very large number of young men from any community leave the area
permanently to go and find jobs elsewhere, the structure of that community will undergo change. The community which had been abandoned grow “older”,
and the percentage of younger women becomes higher. Eventually the younger group becomes the older group, while the male group will remain smaller than the female group.
- All changes occurring on the long term, but continuously, are referred to as
demographic change .
