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• Finding Ways to Improve Child Health
  13 Feb 2008 | Nils Daulaire
  Each year, nearly 10 million children die, mostly from preventable and treatable causes. Millions of children in low-income countries suffer from long-term illnesses, malnutrition, and injuries that limit their life options. What can we do to improve children’s health and save lives in low-income countries? Which countries are on track to improve health, and which need the most help? What are the links to mother's health?
  
  Join international health expert Dr. Nils Daulaire as he responds to your questions on these important issues surrounding child health. Dr. Daulaire is president and CEO of the Global Health Council.
• Sub-Saharan Africa's Demographic Giants: Ethiopia and Nigeria
  30 Jan 2008 | Assefa Hailemariam, Charles Teller, Kolawole Oyediran
  Ethiopia and Nigeria are sub-Saharan Africa's largest countries by far, with populations of 83 million and 144 million, respectively. They account for more than one-quarter of the continent's 788 million people, and are integral to its demographic future. Both are growing rapidly (at nearly 3 percent per year) because of high fertility, lowering mortality, and low contraceptive use. Both countries grapple with widespread child malnutrition and share many challenges. Take part in a discussion of current trends in Ethiopia and Nigeria, which will reveal some surprising differences between and within each country.
  
  This session of PRB’s Discuss Online will be led by Charles Teller, adjunct visiting professor in the Population Studies and Research Center, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and Bixby Visiting Scholar at PRB. He will be joined online by Nigerian sociologist-demographer Dr. Kola Oyidiran and Ethiopian demographer-statistician Dr. Assefa Hailemariam.
• Beyond 300 Million: Regional and State Population Trends in the United States
  19 Dec 2007 | Mark Mather
  In October 2006, the U.S. population topped 300 million people, and continues to outpace growth in other developed countries. But population change within the United States is highly uneven, with rapid growth in the South and West, and slow growth or population loss in many parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
  
  What are the factors contributing to this demographic divide, and what are the economic, political, and environmental implications of these trends? Join Dr. Mark Mather for a discussion of U.S. regional and state population trends and their implications for the future.
• Gender Equality in the Family
  27 Nov 2007 | Frances K. Goldscheider
  The gender revolution in the public sphere has continued apace throughout the industrialized world. Women are leading countries and holding prestigious positions in government, business, and academia. In many countries they are now attaining more education than men. Although women are still constrained by a glass ceiling, they are making real progress in achieving equity with men.
  
  In the private sphere of the family, much less change has occurred. Women still shoulder most of the responsibilities. It is important, however, to distinguish between gender inequalities in housework (which men resist sharing) and in child-rearing (which women resist sharing).
  
  For women to reach equality with men, these inequities in the public and private spheres need to be addressed.
• Will India's Population Reach 2 Billion?
  17 Oct 2007 | Carl Haub
  Fertility in India has fallen from an average of about six children per woman in the 1960s to about three today, a remarkable achievement for the country’s efforts to slow population growth.
  
  India's population passed the 1 billion mark in 2000--will it pass 2 billion, even with these lower fertility rates? This question was addressed by PRB senior demographer Carl Haub who, along with O.P. Sharma, recently produced a series of population projections for India to 2101.
  
  Mr. Haub will discuss what is likely to happen with India's population as it becomes the world’s most populous country. For example:
  
  What can the government do to slow population growth?
  Why did fertility decline so much more in southern India than in the northern "Hindi Belt"?
  How can India's vast regional differences be narrowed?
  When is India's population likely to exceed China's?
  And, finally, is India likely to become the first and only country with 2 billion residents?
• The Unfinished Agenda in Global Health
  31 Aug 2007 | Richard Skolnik
  Despite important advances in life expectancy, there are still very substantial gaps between the health of people in developing and developed countries. This is especially true for poor people. Almost 12 million young children a year die, many of preventable causes and half related to undernutrition. More than 500,000 women a year die in childbirth. Malaria kills more than 1 million children a year and almost 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV.
  
  What is the burden of disease in the developing world? What are the key risk factors for that burden? What are cost-effective ways in different settings of addressing that burden? How can the world work together more effectively to deal with this unfinished agenda?
• Why Population Aging Matters
  31 Jul 2007 | Richard Suzman
  People are living longer and, in some parts of the world, healthier lives. By 2030, 1 billion people will be ages 65 and older. While this is a major achievement of the last century, significant challenges now confront us. Societal aging may affect economic growth, family sustainability, and international relations. Join Dr. Richard Suzman, director of the behavioral and social research program at the U.S. National Institute on Aging, to discuss the impact of population aging on the global community, and the findings of the NIA's new report, "Why Population Aging Matters."
• How Can Philanthropy Play a More Useful Role in Improving Family Planning and Reproductive Health in the Developing World?
  22 May 2007 | Sara Seims
  The philanthropic sector plays a vital role in supporting family planning and reproductive health funding, and provided $326 million in grants for population activities in 2004. The overwhelming majority of these funds come from a handful of U.S. foundations, and in recent years these institutions have recognized the need to hold themselves more accountable regarding the effectiveness of the work that they support.
  
  Join in PRB’s online discussion of the ways in which many foundations are determining how best to work with developing country governments, civil society organizations, local communities and other stakeholders, as well as with other funders.
• How Can We Reduce the Death Rates From Pregnancy and Childbirth?
  18 Apr 2007 | Fariyal Fikree, M.D.
  In most developing countries, women still face a significant risk of dying or having a serious or life-threatening complication during pregnancy, delivery, or after. These risks can be dramatically reduced through already known cost-effective interventions. But political will and resources continue to lag. Discuss with Dr. Fikree the barriers to implementation, and successful strategies for ensuring that women survive pregnancy and childbirth.
• U.S. Birth Rate: Still Fueling Population Growth?
  22 Mar 2007 | Mary Kent
  We often hear that the U.S. family is shrinking and that more young Americans aren’t getting married or having children—but the U.S. has a higher birth rate than most other industrialized countries. Who is having or not having children in the U.S. today? How has U.S. fertility changed since the baby boom years of the 1950s and 1960s? How has immigration affected the U.S. birth rate? Where does the U.S. rank compared with other countries?
• Environment, Poverty and Security in Today's World: What's Population Got to Do With it?
  25 Jan 2007 | Roger-Mark De Souza
  How are environmental, poverty, and security trends in today’s world affected by population dynamics? What is being done to address these issues? What is needed?
  
  Join Roger-Mark De Souza, Technical Director of Population, Health and Environment at PRB, for an online discussion of population, health, and environment linkages.
• Who Is Malnourished or Hungry in the World? Why? What Can We Do to Help?
  6 Dec 2006 | Bill Butz
  How many malnourished or hungry people are there in the world, and why? Is the situation improving or worsening?
  
  Join Bill Butz, president and CEO of the Population Reference Bureau, on Dec. 6 for an online discussion of malnutrition, hunger, and food security.
• Is Global Pressure for Immigration Increasing?
  9 Nov 2006 | Carl Haub
  Nearly 3 million people migrate to other countries today. With aging societies in Europe, and in Japan and other Asian countries seeing a reduction in their labor forces, the need for workers will conflict with many countries' desires to remain relatively culturally homogeneous. How will countries cope with these issues. A compelling topic for discussion!
• The U.S. at 300 Million: Challenges and Prospects
  11 Oct 2006 | Linda Jacobsen
  The United States is set to reach a milestone in October. It will become the third country—after China and India—to be home to at least 300 million people.
  
  Each 100 million has been added more quickly than the last. It took the United States more than 100 years to reach its first 100 million in 1915. After another 52 years, it reached 200 million in 1967. Less than 40 years later, it is set to hit the 300-million mark. Within another 37 years, we are projected to pass 400 million.
  
  Since 1967, we Americans have seen considerable change in who we are and how we live. Join in an online discussion to look at some of the major changes, including the decline in household size, rise in women's labor force participation, increase in education, and growth in the number of foreign-born people. All of these trends will affect our children's future.