From rcincotta@usaid.gov Fri Nov 3 12:25:12 1995 Date: Fri, 3 Nov 95 14:21:47 -30000 To: , From: "Richard Cincotta" Subject: Population Reference Bureau/WWW X-Incognito-SN: 643 X-Incognito-Format: VERSION=2.01a ENCRYPTED=NO The Population Reference Bureau is pleased to announce that it has launched its home page on the World Wide Web. We can be located at http://www.prb.org/prb/ At this Web site we have offered a number of on-line resources, including Population Today (PRB's newsmonthly), a guide to on-line population-related information resources (under "Media Guide"), Population Jeopardy, and a soon-to-be-launched queriable 1995 World Population Data Sheet. The Web site is designed for the low-end user, particularly in developing countries, so it is not loaded with large graphics files. Despite its low tech look, we expect that the information provided will be very useful to those with an interest in population issues. Please send us comments and/or suggestions for links to other useful population-related Web sites (our list contains USAID and quite a number of other organizations). Please mention the site to colleagues and others with an interest in population. We think that it will be worth their while! Population Reference Bureau 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 520 Washington, DC 20009-5728 USA Tel. 202-483-1100 Fax 202-328-3937 E-mail: popref@prb.org From rcincotta@usaid.gov Wed Nov 29 14:49:36 1995 Date: Wed, 29 Nov 95 16:32:43 -30000 To: From: "Richard Cincotta" Subject: PRB reports on India X-Incognito-SN: 643 X-Incognito-Format: VERSION=2.01a ENCRYPTED=NO excerpt from POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU World Wide Web home page PRB's home page created by Alex de Sherbinin, October 20, 1995 Press Releases ... informing people about population since 1929. Contact: Mary Kent, PRB, (202) 483-1100 India's Population Expanding Despite Dramatic Fertility Declines Washington/ October 5: India is experiencing a dramatic decline in birth rates, according to a study released today by the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit, non-advocacy educational organization. India appears to be in the midst of a fundamental transition to lower fertility and mortality, report authors Leela Visaria and Pravin Visaria, two distinguished Indian demographers. Average fertility fell from more than 5.3 children per woman in 1970 to 3.6 children in 1992. Over the same period, life expectancy at birth rose from roughly 50 years to about 60 years. India (with a population of 931 million) adds 17 million people to the world each year, more than any other country. While many signs point to a continued decline in India's fertility rate, the momentum of growth built into the young age distribution of the population is tremendous....The slowdown in growth will be barely perceptible over the short term, the horizon of concern to most policymakers and political leaders. India's young population profile (36 percent of Indians are under age 15) favors continued population growth. Even if the average number of children per woman falls substantially lower, the study observes, the young age structure will generate continued growth for decades as successively larger numbers of Indians enter their childbearing years. The annual number of births is projected to rise from 25 million to 30 million between 1991 and 2001 even though the birth rate is expected to fall further. India's fertility decline was fostered by social and economic changes, including later marriages, increased literacy, urbanization, industrialization, and the communications and technology revolutions. India's controversial family planning program also contributed to the decline. Further fertility declines, however, will hinge on enhancing the status of women in India. Nearly two-thirds of women cannot read or write, compared with about one-third of men. Sons are still preferred over daughters. This male preference promotes subtle, and occasionally severe, neglect of female infants, especially in poor families. New population policies could expand family planning use and enhance the status of women, leading to further fertility declines, the authors conclude. ________________ Leela Visaria and Pravin Visaria are at the Gujarat Institute for Development Research in Ahmedabad, India. Copies of the report may be purchased for $8 from PRB by calling 1-800-877-9881 or 202-483-1100. Journalists may request a free copy. Population Reference Bureau 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 520 Washington, DC 20009-5728 USA Phone 202-483-1100 Fax 202-328-3937 E-mail: popref@prb.org" Internet site address: http://www.prb.org/prb