The role of comprehensive sex education in population control
Sex education is not just giving out condoms but offering a conversation. The missing key is to educate India about population restriction. Today, while celebrating World Population Day. In a world where population curves affect everything from climate change to economic activity, sexual education, surprisingly, saves the day in the struggle for managing demographics sustainably. Life's true education magic happens beyond classroom walls. Family planning is taught in programs but isn't limited to dissemination of information, the desire to change culture around family size and reproductive attitudes shifts.
CSE (Comprehensive Sexual Education) programs that tackle gender roles and other power relations within a society have proved five times more efficient in controlling unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections than conventional ones. Empowerment through Education Maybe the most important aspect of sexual education is how it empowers women. An educated woman knows about her body and reproductive rights, which translates to more informed choices in her life. Programs in Mexico showed that educated women motivated themselves to seek healthcare, utilized contraception, and had a clearer sense of control over their life goals. In Pakistan, women with secondary education had roughly two fewer children than women without it. This demographic shift is observed in other countries as well. Educated women in Bangladesh are estimated to have a total fertility rate of 2.2, while uneducated women have a rate of 2.6. The Economic Case for Intimate Knowledge- Governments make one of the best returns on investment with sexual education, surprising but true! The UNFPA uncovered that for every $1 spent on family planning, there is $1.47 in avoided pregnancy-related care returned. From battling global financial crises to tackling rampant poverty, the benefits are tremendous. Meeting the global contraceptive needs often utilizes family planning, which helps reduce unintended pregnancies, depression, and infant deaths. Preventative measures add to the well- being of mothers too. Strong projections claim to save 215,000 women’s lives each year.Numbers might be the same, but saving all lives, stabilizing families, and making strong communities contribute towards uplifting the nation.
Innovation is important in action- Countries all over the world have started noticing these relations. China implemented “love education” classes in universities, geared towards healthy relationships. This stemmed from declining birth rates. The western sub-Saharan African countries adopted programs that promoted condom usage, voluntary HIV testing, and even reduced teenage pregnancy rates.
What is the road ahead -
With the celebration of World Population Day, it is celebrated globally; thus, acknowledging it globally is equally needed towards the right sexual education, which empowers individuals instead of controlling the population. Education, after all, is important to give the foresight to plan a family that achieves their reproductive desires because a child is not just a result of pleasure. When one does not have a child planning it becomes more of a burden than a kid himself. So accountability towards your sexual desires and family planning is as important as it is for any mere foreign trip or basic chores of life.
Sex education is an important tool for managing the population, especially in third world countries like India. Not much emphasis has been given till now on controlling the population in India because of a variety of factors like religions and politics and other socio-demographic factors. What happened in China 2-3 decades back was they imposed stricter laws on people having more than one children, men had to undergo compulsory vasectomies and all sorts of those measures to control the population and today China's population is less than India's population instead of being more for so many decade and because of controlling the population, there is not much strain on the resources. But I would suggest that instead of doing what China did in China, it is important to emphasize on sex education in India to help prevent unwanted pregnancies and also to understand the burden of bearing children in today's era.
The writer is Men’s Health & Andrology Expert | Founder, IASH (Institute of Andrology and Sexual Health)
Views expressed are personal
