Ch 6 Pt 2 Cultural Perspectives on Fertility and Population Control

Each culture has specific beliefs and practices related to fertility, birth, and childbearing.
Ideas about sexual intercourse are also linked to fertility.
Culture shapes our perceptions and practices regarding:
- When to have sex.
- With whom to have sex.
- How often to have sex.
These practices should not be regarded as natural or universal but rather as culturally constructed.

The Hindu ideology influences a man's sexual identity and intercourse practices.
Considerations include:
- Frequency of intercourse.
- Attitude towards sex (caution, positivity, etc.).
Losing semen is associated with a loss of life.

Cultural guidelines dictate when to start/stop having sex and the number of children to have.
Governments and international organizations (e.g., WHO) provide recommendations and warnings about sexual behaviors.

Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites and bodily fluids like semen and blood.
During the Zika virus outbreak, governments advised precautions, especially for pregnant women, due to the risk of microcephaly (small head syndrome) in babies.
WHO also recommended caution, suggesting abstinence to avoid transmission.
Southern California (Orange County) and Florida had reported cases of Zika virus in 2016.
This illustrates how governmental and international organizations influence sexual intercourse practices.

Individuals/couples consider:
- Value of having children (e.g., old age care).
- Cost of raising children (estimated at 3,400,000 to age 18 in the US as of 2019, excluding college).
- Infant and child mortality rates.
- Preference for the number and gender of offspring.
Example: In older generations in Taiwan, males were preferred to inherit family wealth and care for parents.
Preference for males is common in patrilineal societies, where females move away after marriage.

Governments consider socioeconomic issues when making recommendations about fertility.
Factors include:
- Taxation income from the workforce.
- Population aging and who will care for the elderly and contribute to Social Security.
- National security concerns due to fewer people serving in public roles.

Religious, medical, and political organizations make recommendations about fertility decisions.
Example: The Catholic Church's stance on condom use.
Pope Francis discussed allowing condom use during the Zika virus outbreak, reflecting a shift in response to public health threats.
WHO also provides recommendations on sexual behaviors and pregnancy.

Purposeful abortion has been practiced throughout history.
Values and belief systems vary across religious societies regarding abortion.
Nancy Shepherd Hughes' research in Brazil:
- Observed high infant mortality rates in a Shantytown.
- Mothers viewed infant deaths as children becoming angels due to the inability to sustain their lives.
- This belief was not legitimizing death but making sense of high mortality.
Other religious societies have taboos against induced abortion.

Indirect fertility control relates to practices in hunter-gatherer societies and their modes of production.