Throughout history different civilisations used various ways to control the growing population. For instance, in Ancient China, Confucius tried to control the population through migration. Plato writes society should have fixed population size to maintain order and in Aristotle’s view, population should be small enough for an efficient governance.
In the 21st century, countries suffering from socio-economic grievances experienced a population bomb. Pakistan, already struggling with internal and external crises, is among these counties. Amartya Sen, in his book, Development as Freedom, states that women empowerment can play a role of population control. It gives women awareness that leads towards rational and stable choices. Women’s unfreedom over their reproductive rights leads to population explosion.
Reforming education curricula can result in a societal shift to dismantle endemic stereotypes that hinder women empowerment. It is high time for Pakistan to rethink its policies which are impeding women empowerment.
Sameer Shoukat
Lasbela
