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    Beyond women's empowerment : exploring the role of men in family planning among the Mangkong ethnic group in Lao PDR : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development, Massey University, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Lorkuangming, Vanly
    Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, men’s involvement in family planning (FP) has been actively promoted as the pinnacle to women’s empowerment, and consequently, gender equality. Previous studies have found that when men are involved in FP, they can become more supportive when decisions about reproductive issues need to be made, which has positive implications elsewhere. Laos as an ethnically diverse country, means making FP universally accessible for its people has been challenging. It is especially problematic for ethnic minorities in rural areas where women are more vulnerable and marginalised, resulting in a high level of unmet need for FP among ethnic women. With ethnic minorities even less participation is evident, coupled with the fact there is a paucity of research on topic. This thesis therefore aims to explore the involvement of Mangkong men in FP. The fieldwork was conducted in seven villages in Nong District, Savannakhet province, Lao PDR. The research is qualitative in design and data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 13 couples, two women and five key informants. Other methods included informal observation, used as part of building rapport and learning about gender roles and lifestyle among the Mangkong, as well as document analysis. This study found that men’s involvement as FP service providers raised awareness of FP among men and women, while men’s involvement as targets of FP programmes improved and increased participation in counselling, integrated outreach, for example. However, this suggests that men’s involvement in FP alone cannot increase women’s empowerment unless broader strategic and practical gender needs are also addressed. Theoretically, the study calls for culturally specific models of empowerment, as the empowerment framework adopted in this study, which was based on Western feminist theories, cannot fully explain Mangkong women’s understandings of empowerment. Findings also suggest that if true empowerment in FP is to be achieved, it is necessary to focus on both men and women as individuals, couples and clients who have the rights to access FP information and services, thus meeting their individual needs. Both men and women are necessary agents of change for gender equality.
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    A comparative analysis of population growth in China and Egypt : people, policies and prospects : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Politics) in the School of People, Environment and Planning at Massey University, Albany campus, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2011) Yu, Yang; Yu, Yang
    Despite their geographical locations and historical disassociations, China and Egypt face one essential identical issue in common--the problem of over population. This study compares population growth in China and Egypt in terms of people, policies and prospects for economic development. It argues that China and Egypt faced a population crisis that was undermining economic development since the 19th century and this issue of excessive population growth continues to be on the top of the political agenda in the 21st century. Furthermore China and Egypt both have experienced three stages of population development in terms of family planning policies. For China, the first phase of family planning programs began in the 1950s and this was followed by further waves of development in the 1960s and the one child policy in the 1970s. For Egypt, the first phase of Cairo’s family planning program began in 1965 and this was also accompanied by two more stages of development, one in the 1970s and the other in the 1980s. The results of these family planning programs were impressive. China and Egypt both experienced extraordinary fertility decline since the 1980s. Despite these achievements in family planning however, China and Egypt is expected to experience further waves of population increase in the foreseeable future. This would no doubt continue to challenge these countries’ prospect for economic development.
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    The socio-cultural and economic contexts of fertility decline in the rural eastern Terai region of Nepal : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Health Management and Policy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Karki, Debendra; Karki, Debendra
    There has been a steady decline in fertility in the eastern Terai region of Nepal in the years 1981-1995. The decline in fertility is desirable from the point of view of government, because of the population pressure on the region. Population pressure has been caused, however, not primarily by the high fertility of inhabitants of the region, but more by massive in-migration to the region, indirectly caused by the government policy itself. The government has responded to population pressure in the Terai by seeking to reduce fertility by means of family planning programmes. However, the recent decline in fertility rates in the eastern Terai has little to do with family planning programmes, which were introduced to the region only quite recently. Rather the decline in fertility is primarily the result of a steady rise in the marriage age of women. The rise in age at marriage is the result of economic and social pressures- in particular the difficulty of sustaining a joint family based agrarian livelihood, because of growing population (due to in-migration) and limitation upon further clearing of the forest. A related factor contributing to the rise of marriage age is the quest for urban employment and for the kind of education that would facilitate that employment. Girls are allowed to stay in school longer and boys and girls may travel some distance away from the village for the sake of higher education and job opportunities. While the giving of dowry with a very young daughter in marriage is the prestige model set by the established landed high caste families, the middle caste tribal people and the lower castes practice bride-price payment. Using the micro-demographic research methodology, this dissertation provides a detailed case history of fertility change in a village of a developing country. Fertility rates are shown to be subject to numerous interacting social and economic forces, and changes in fertility can be better understood with the small-scale and precise analytic tools provided by micro-demography. The village of Chisang is composed entirely of recently arrived families. The first immigrants- high caste Hindus from the Hill region- acquired good land and established flourishing farms, but later immigrants were less fortunate. In-migration, through-migration, and out-migration are the defining features of the village history and village demography, and thereby of social structure, family structure, economy, and fertility rates. For all Hindu people in the Terai, the good marriage of each boy and girl, the unquestioned virginity of the girl upon marriage, and the production of offspring within each marriage remain imperative. As the marriage age of women rises, the gap between age at marriage and age of consummation of marriage closes. Though fertility is declining because of the rising age at marriage, villagers say that they have not intentionally planned this chain of cause and effect: for them, it just happened. However, the village is at a stage in its history when the introduction of family planning measures is likely to be, and it appears to have been in the last two years, highly successful.