In the US, many of us were educated as children with the mantra of"We're Number One." But when you learn more about other countries, yousee that they are often superior in various ways.. It's time we startto better appreciate these ways. If you've traveled or lived outsidethe US, the Free Press invites you to contribute to this column.
Iran: Model for Family Planning
by Janet Larsen, Earth Policy Institute
Iran's population growth rate dropped from 3.2 percent in 1986 to just1.2 percent in 2001, one of the fastest drops ever recorded. Thus, thecountry has emerged as a model for other countries wanting toaccelerate the shift to smaller families.
Iran's first family planning policy was introduced in 1967 under ShahReza Pahlavi, aiming to accelerate economic growth and improve thestatus of women by reforming divorce laws, encouraging femaleemployment and acknowledging family planning as a human right. Butthis initiative was reversed in 1979 at the beginning of thedecade-long Islamic revolution. During this period, family planningprograms were seen as undue western influences and were dismantled.Health officials were ordered not to advocate contraception. DuringIran's war with Iraq between 1980 and 1988, a large population wasviewed as a comparative advantage, and Khomeini pushed procreation tobolster the ranks of "soldiers for Islam," aiming for "an army of 20million." This strong pronatalist stance led to an annual populationgrowth rate of well over 3 percent. United Nations data show Iran'spopulation doubling from 27 million in 1968 to 55 million in 1988.
During postwar reconstruction in the late 1980s, the economy faltered.Severe job shortages plagued overcrowded and polluted cities. Rapidpopulation growth was finally seen as an obstacle to development.Ayatollah Khomeini reopened dialog on the subject of birth control,and by 1989 Iran had revived its national family planning program. Itsprincipal goals were to encourage women to wait three to four yearsbetween pregnancies, to discourage childbearing for women younger than18 or older than 35, and to limit family size to three children.
In 1993 the Iranian government passed a law encouraging couples tohave fewer children by restricting maternity leave benefits afterthree children. It also called for family planning information to bein curriculum materials and allowed the media to discuss populationissues and family planning programs. Money saved on reduced maternityleave funds these programs.
The government covers 80 percent of family planning costs. Acomprehensive health network made up of mobile clinics and 15,000"health houses" provides family planning and health services to fourfifths of Iran's rural population. Almost all of these health carecenters were established after 1990. Because family planning isintegrated with primary health care, there is little stigma attachedto modern contraceptives. Religious leaders have become involved withthe crusade for smaller families, citing them as a socialresponsibility in their weekly sermons. They also have issued fatwas,religious edicts with the strength of court orders, that permit and encourage the use of all types of contraception, includingpermanent male and female sterilization, a first among Muslimcountries. Birth control, including the provision of condoms, pills,and sterilization, is free.
One of the strengths of Iran's promotion of family planning is theinvolvement of men. Iran is the only country in the world thatrequires both men and women to take a class on modern contraceptionbefore receiving a marriage license. And it is the only country in theregion with a government-sanctioned condom factory. In the past fouryears, some 220,000 Iranian men have had a vasectomy. Whilevasectomies still account for only 3 percent of contraception,compared with female sterilization at 28 percent, men nonetheless areassuming more responsibility for family planning.
Rising literacy and a national communications infrastructure arefacilitating progress in family planning. The literacy rate for adultmales increased from 48 percent in 1970 to 84 percent in 2000, nearlydoubling in 30 years. Female literacy climbed even faster, rising fromless than 25 percent in 1970 to more than 70 percent. Meanwhile,school enrollment grew from 60 to 90 percent. And by 1996, 70 percentof rural and 93 percent of urban households had televisions, allowingfamily planning information to be spread widely through the media. As one of 17 countries already facing absolute water scarcity, Iran'sdecision to curb its rapid population growth has helped alleviate theshortages. An estimated 37 million people, more than half thepopulation, do not have enough water.
Because almost 40 percent of Iran's population is under the age of 15,population momentum is strong and growth in the immediate future isinevitable. To keep growth rates low, Iran needs to continueemphasizing the social value of smaller families.
Other developing countries with fast-growing populations can profit byfollowing Iran's lead in promoting population stability.
