Birth control: was CIVILITY

[Guest guest]

>Although there was that eskimo woman who'd had 26 children. I wonder if

earlier eskimo generations spaced their kids though. I wonder why today's so

called " third world " communities don't space and have a lot of children, eg.

Indians and many Arab countries that I can think of.

>

>Filippa

From what I've read, populations

that are nomadic and don't have

pack animals generally space their kids,

because they just can't carry them.

The population of humans remained

rather static for eons, until very recently,

partly because of that. Babies were mainly

breast-fed, and a breastfeeding woman

just doesn't get pregnant easily. " Extra "

babies were not valued much either, because

" farmhands " were not needed.

Most of the nomadic peoples are now

settled (or being forced to settle). Extra

farmhands are useful, so large families

are valued in farming communities.

Milk is available so the woman doesn't have

to breastfeed for 3-4 years.

Other factors:

In pre-history, humans seem to have had

a very short lifespan on average. They

didn't have degenerative diseases so much,

and they had healthy bones and teeth, but

the lifespan was really short. Some of the

reason had to do with high rates of homicide

and getting killed by wild animals, factors

that are much lower today.

Birth control: In most of history,

infanticide was common. " Extra " babies

were sacrificed or left exposed -- practices

that will throw you in jail in most places

today. When food was scarce, women

don't conceive easily anyway.

Forms of abortion and abortifact

herbs were used, and forms of birth

control very likely -- also options many

women don't have because of law or

religion.

Today many women

have no option -- huge families are

considered " good " so they are under

social pressure (and they may well want

those 14 kids themselves). But even

if they don't want 14 kids, they don't

have much option -- very often they

are forced by economics or families

to marry.

However, in some places in the world

there WERE big families and the

accomanying large populations.

The Mayans had this problem (pre

smallpox). They started relying therefore

on corn as a staple, and they had more

problems as a result. I think the Egyptians

had a similar history: settle down, have

big families, start eating mainly grain.

It's the story of civilization ...

(and yeah, I just got Guns, Germs, and Steel

but haven't read it yet ...)

-- Heidi