Research Article | DOI: https://doi.org/10.31579/2834-8745/007
Social Welfare vs Demographic Status: A Sociological Appraisal
- Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi *
Professor at Alzahra University, Iran.
*Corresponding Author: Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi, Professor at Alzahra University, Iran.
Citation: Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi, (2023) Social Welfare vs Demographic Status: A Sociological Appraisal. Journal of Scientific Research and Biomedical Informatics, 2(3); DOI: 10.31579/2834-8745/007
Copyright: © 2023 Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi, This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Received: 11 May 2023 | Accepted: 14 June 2023 | Published: 29 June 2023
Keywords: demographic policies; social welfare; cultural patterns; industrial development; technology
Abstract
Social welfare is combination of facilities which is achieved. It is for a population per capita. In case a country has a changing/ increasing population per capita, welfare does not usually increase at the same rate. In such a situation, many people are debarred from many facilities. Sociologically speaking, many developing countries with unbridled population growth are facing lack of welfare facilities. Such a deprivation affects other aspects of life, and even the next generations. For example, shortage of education affects different aspects of an individual's life. Social security as a new institution derived from social welfare, is widely observed in developed world rather than the developing world. Such an institution first appeared in Germany at the end of the 19th century by Bismarck. Social security is currently meant a great step toward welfare of all classes of people from birth to death. Demographic policies are applied to create a suitable background to mobilize welfare. Sociology proves how demographic policies can impact different dimensions and aspects of social welfare. Social welfare has contributed to longer life expectancy_-leading to simultaneous lives of even four generations. Though the world population was reported 7.8 billion 2020, it would reach over 10 billion by the year 2050 (WPDS, 2020).
Introduction
Demographic policies and the scale of the population have a significant impact on the quality of social welfare. In other words, social welfare occurs when the population size is significantly proportional. Many developed countries, which over the past few decades have always targeted their low population, have achieved higher social welfare. Social welfare itself is, in a sense, the support of governments for the citizens and the inhabitants of a society. Social welfare is generally planned and invested in by governments. Under appropriate demographic policies, per capita social welfare also improves significantly. Otherwise, and in reverse; That is, in the absence of population policies, per capita social welfare does not appear to be satisfactory. Welfare itself is provided by the amount of income, so in the presence of a favorable population, per capita income also appears to be satisfactory. In such a situation, the people of a desired society can easily meet their welfare needs. Social security is itself a result of social welfare, if social welfare is provided to individuals in society, in such circumstances, social security also actually occurs; That is, a situation in which all members of a society enjoy greater social security. Social security first appeared in Germany in the late nineteenth century by Bismarck (German), and has since gradually continued to cover more citizens.
Method of Research
Methodology used in the present article is of qualitative type. In that, various paradigms have been used to find out about the facts regarding pandemics during the history. Qualitative research usually studies people, events or areas in their natural settings. In finding facts for the research, the researcher engaged in careful data collection and thoughtful analysis of what was relevant. In the documentary research applied for the present research, printed and written materials were widely regarded. The research was performed as a qualitative library-type in which the researcher had to refer to the relevant and related sources. In the current research, various documents were thoroughly investigated, and the needful inferences were made. The data fed by the investigator in the present article is hopefully reliable. Though literature on pandemics is very limited, yet the author tried to investigate many different resources in order to elicit the necessary information to build up the text.
Demographic policies
Demographic policies refer to the set of plans and methods that governments adopt in accordance with their ideological and economic conditions in the field of population. Many countries in the world have adopted different demographic policies in recent decades; Some have adopted population control policies and invested in them in various ways. Population policies are a set of measures taken to increase or decrease population. While some countries, such as China and Iran, have previously adopted population-reducing policies to prevent population growth, in recent years they have reversed policies to increase their population growth. The most important demographic policy was adopted by the Chinese government (1979-1979), during which every urban family had to have one child, during which sterilization and forced abortions were performed (Arthur, 2009). In this way, a smaller population has been born in the target communities. However, some countries have adopted population growth policies, and more people have been born in those employed in the agricultural sector. At the same time, demographic policies are not always stable. For example, while in the years before 2000, Singapore in Asia had population restraint policies on its agenda, in recent years it has pursued reverse policies, encouraging population growth and more births. Therefore, countries must always adopt specific and decisive policies in the field of population. Demographic policies mainly involve changes in the types of variables: birth, mortality and migration. These three changes are generally on the agenda of demographic policy makers. Today, following a change in lifestyle in most of the world's industrialized countries, birth rates have dropped dramatically. This has increased life expectancy and longevity for different segments of the population. In such countries, the migration process has also decreased and the movement has led to greater social welfare.
Demographic policies have had and continue to have a significant impact on the dimensions and aspects of social welfare. Welfare is defined as a form of government support for citizens, and is provided to eligible people in the form of financial, food, educational, and other assistance. The larger the community, the lower the chances of receiving and the quota (The New Fontana Dictionary, 1999). Demographic policies, ie the regulation of the population according to the birth process in urban and rural areas, itself affect the mortality rate, employment index, income and welfare, nutrition, educational facilities and the like. Today, countries must always define and design specific demographic policies, and pursue their movements (economic and social) accordingly. In general, demographic policies create prosperity in societies. Control over the size or growth of one's potential population is recognized as a very powerful form of government intervention in the lives of citizens. Over the past two centuries, following the development of societies, the advancement of science, the literacy of the population, etc., governments in various societies have made many interventions in the areas of family, population growth, fertility, etc., and have defined and designed policies through them; That is, a trend that has itself gradually led to the social welfare of those valleys. Hence, many citizens have adapted to the new order and recommended norms. Thus, social welfare policies have emerged and become widespread in many societies.
Researchers such as Peach Ford and Das Gupta have provided clear analyzes of the concept of static or population dynamics. Following the literacy of the population in different societies, more dynamism has occurred in different directions between different populations in different parts of the world. Also, the stagnation period of the population is more or less over and human populations are always moving with more dynamism. Dynamics in education, dynamism in production, consumption and the like are always going on. The mass media influences public opinion and the lifestyles of the population in various ways; It arouses more curiosity, reduces the gap and gap of knowledge of individuals to a minimum, puts new cases and contexts on the agenda, and also influences the views and perceptions of individuals in societies. Such information and mass media have also affected the reproductive behavior of population growth (Mass Media, Retrieved, 2019). In such circumstances, social, economic, environmental and similar contexts must be provided. Hence, present-day societies face different and unprecedented needs.
According to the theory of welfare economics, the current situation of the population is as follows:
1- The new baby can benefit from the minimum products among many nations.
2. People have the right to choose the size of their family.
Hence, well-being is now widely discussed in various societies, where all human beings are relatively expected to benefit from and use different resources. In such circumstances, demographic policy makers must always provide the possibility of further development of welfare in its various dimensions.
Optimal population and welfare
The classical population theory is based on maximizing per capita production and consumption; That is, what leads to greater prosperity. According to this theory, many societies experienced more births during the 19th and 20th centuries, simply because they made more use of their production resources (agricultural land), thus achieving greater prosperity. Having more children in these communities is a motivation. Gradually, following the development of industry and the replacement of the machine with the human, the importance of children in families decreased, and thus a gradual tolerance of the birth rate occurred in different societies; So much so that today many families with less than 2 children plan for themselves on average.
The point of contention is that many populations in developing countries do not derive their status from income, but also from the number of children, a trend that jeopardizes the pursuit of prosperity. Due to the change in the classical theory of population to the modern theory of population, many developing countries are more satisfied with their children, in other words, they consider children as a source of well-being for their old age. The phenomenon of population is increasing both to achieve prosperity and in some cases the decline of many people in the world from the distant past have always sought to increase their children simply because they have more prosperity both in their working life and in their old age. . Under working and agricultural conditions, more children could produce more produce, thus keeping their parents more prosperous, and supporting their financial and health in old age. It is noteworthy that in the increasingly industrialized world, this attitude has also changed to a large extent and in the face of many institutions and machines have replaced more children (Weiman, ch, 13).
As we approach the new age and the 21st century, the standard of social welfare becomes more important, and different segments of the population in developing countries take newer measures to achieve greater welfare. For example, the age of marriage increases, gender equality becomes more important, and so on. During the 20th century, many sociological changes took place in different societies, during which the female population gained more access to education and skills. Likewise, lifestyles and consumption patterns have changed extensively between different strata. These conditions require governments to provide more welfare for their citizens. Socio-cultural development and progress during which the social and cultural structure changes, generally and consequently more prosperity appears in the society. Social change also involves the processes and mechanisms of social change (Halferkamp, 1992). Therefore, increasing welfare services is on the agenda of many governments today. It is noteworthy that less developed countries still have a long way to go with such facilities. For example, the population structure of countries has led to an increase in the proportion of older people in society today compared to the past, while welfare centers are provided less for this population. Receiving services, assistance, and well-being from their children as motivations for childbearing is still encouraged in many developing countries. For example, many African countries still have high fertility rates, with the continent's population rising to 4.2 billion by the end of the 21st century. Cultural patterns of this kind bring with them many challenges and social and economic ills for developing countries. While the issue of care for the elderly in industrialized countries has largely been resolved, the younger generation is still interested in having children at a minimum. In other words, achieving greater well-being has affected the number of children. In order to escape the extinction of the generation, possible future well-being must also be taken into account, and in such circumstances people must be born to provide services to the future. Hence, population planning and forecasting should always be on the agenda of governments. As the quality of the population improves, so does the welfare aspect of the community itself. In any case, the qualitative population has the chance to live longer. Improving the quality of life of its population has also led to more life expectancy of the population and the emergence of an elderly population (65+) in different communities (Haub, 2004).
More population costs
With the advent of more industry, technology and products, the costs of more population are constantly increasing. In many countries today, where the population is born beyond the capacity of those communities, the surplus population incurs high costs. In such a situation, challenges and issues such as unemployment, rising food prices, many cases of social insecurity and the like arise. Many developing countries are facing this crisis today. However, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and similar institutions have always advised on preventing overpopulation; In a way that population and resources are in harmony with each other. Population and resources as two complementary elements must always be in proportion and symmetry with each other. Natural resources, food, employment resources, water resources, fuels, health resources and the like must always be in line with population size, birth rate, etc. In such circumstances, welfare frameworks also appear in a society
Turns (Gopa, 2011). Many young couples, especially the uneducated in less developed countries, may not be familiar with contraceptives, a weakness that gradually leads to overpopulation; That is, what eventually and gradually leads to unemployment, rising prices and abnormal conditions. Less developed countries and societies generally face this phenomenon or challenge. Thus, monitoring the movements of its population can lead a society towards favorable social, economic and demographic conditions.
In such circumstances, the found children themselves reduce the welfare facilities in the families; That is, per capita in terms of food, living space, educational investment opportunities and the like are reduced. If you decide to have any new children, it should be done according to any welfare situation of the family. Following the expansion of literacy, means of communication, migration, etc., the new generations, regardless of nationality, language, culture, etc., expect more facilities and welfare facilities compared to the previous generation. In such circumstances, governments and planning systems must always provide the necessary resources for such requests. In other words, sources of well-being must always be upgraded with the emergence of new generations (Mannheim, 1952). In recent decades, following the improvement of welfare in many contemporary families in different countries, including India, Iran and the like in Asia, the number of births within these families has decreased. In this way, welfare and improving the quality of life is passed on from one generation to another. The children of most families affect their future well-being and financial / value position. Hence, the inappropriate increase of the population in the families causes less welfare for the children to be born. This situation is more prevalent today in rural areas of Third World countries than in urban areas. It is noteworthy that the emergence of literacy among its rural population has helped the population in rural areas to control its fertility, simply because the children are born more prosperous, eventually leaving us or more inheritance in us. The future can benefit.
Unemployment
The main root of the unemployment index is due to the increase in births in the past; Ultimately, overpopulation poses many challenges compared to employment resources. Naturally, overproduction over a period of years will lead to unemployment for one or more sections of the population years later. Therefore, proper monitoring of your reproductive process can lead to higher employment costs. Industrialized countries with low birth rates are less likely to face unemployment. In contrast, less developed countries are facing an unemployment crisis in the future, following the increase in the number of families. It is noteworthy that the phenomenon of unemployment itself leads to more social and economic disorders. Therefore, the relevant agencies should always exercise continuous monitoring of the fertility process in different communities. Employment instability and low wages themselves increase the population's distance from welfare. In general, employment must always be stable and sustained, otherwise the population will face potential constraints and deprivation. Therefore, the planning system should always provide the necessary employment resources for people born, so that the entire population has a good chance of employment during their lifetime.
The unemployment rate is gradually leading to migration; That is, the process itself leads to many environmental issues. Today, rural unemployment has caused the population to move to urban areas. Regional unrest has also led to international migration. At the same time, some individuals and families are migrating internationally following changing patterns and values. This movement has always had an increasing trend; Today, more than 285 million people, or about 3.5 percent of the world's population, live in places other than their birthplace. Thus, many people have moved from communities to other parts of the world in search of work and income. Marginalization, the birth of working children, many hidden social harms and the like are among the social harms caused by migration. While migration solves a problem; That is, the economic problems of the people are solved through it, at the same time, marginalization and working children appear, that is, a situation that results in many injuries and social problems. Marginalization has emerged as a new phenomenon resulting from urbanization from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries in various parts of the city, especially in developing societies. In these non-standard residential areas, the welfare context is very poor, and poverty and the negative aspects of life are deepened (Slums, 2007). Many less developed countries are facing this phenomenon today.
Unemployment as the mother of all socio-economic challenges has increased by several hundred percent in many countries compared to the previous century. However, the unemployment rate has always fluctuated, and has not exploded. While the economies of many developing countries are generally not dynamic and progressive, the demand for manpower in these societies is very low. In contrast, countries such as China, South Korea, Taiwan and the like are themselves experiencing declining population growth. Countries with low population growth generally have low unemployment, and at the same time less social harm occurs in these societies.
More children contradict
As the world mechanizes rapidly, the proportion of more children and larger families is itself contradictory. While the machine has taken the place of the human, and is playing a role, the human race has come to the conclusion that it has fewer children, so the household dimension (average household size) is declining. Due to this contradiction, countries are always looking for a smaller and ideal number of children. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is a population index that shows the average number of children born to a woman in a given population. Increased welfare and social, cultural and economic development have led to a declining trend in this index. While in 2019 the index in Niger was 7 children per woman, in Japan it is estimated at 1.4. High fertility increases the distance between human and well-being (WPDS, 2019). In deciding whether the family has another child, such a decision will be made if the new child seeks greater and more positive well-being for the family, emotionally, well-being, cooperation, support, and so on. Turn. Therefore, contemporary and new generations should think more about having children today. The result of such thinking is a slowdown in population growth, especially in developed industrial countries; That is, parts of the world where machines have strongly replaced humans. Existence of more population (more children) itself provides the ground for choosing more friends, more companions and more marriages in a given society, thus the sequence of population growth and higher population growth continues. Therefore, relevant and appropriate policies for the population should always be adopted and introduced. Only in such circumstances can the ideal population be achieved. It is noteworthy that sociologists themselves have an effective role in achieving the ideal population in countries. The optimistic view of population is that if a community can meet the nutritional and educational standards of its population, the likelihood of improving the quality of the population in those communities increases; That is, the target communities can access more specialized and skilled people and ...
Conclusion
Sociologically speaking, the world is rapidly mechanizing, and because of that fewer children are needed. That is why larger families and more children are contradictory. In the present age, machine has taken the place of human. The human race has reached the conclusion that, for attaining and accessing welfare in general, smaller family/ household size are needed. Such a tradition is transforming cultures and norms with special reference to the developing world. It is noteworthy that sociologists have an effective role in achieving ideal population in countries, especially in the developing countries where welfare standards are low. More children will lead to more marriages, and the cycle will continue.
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