Education

Large family size and rapid population growth challenge the ability of governments, teachers and parents to meet the educational needs of young people.

The success of many developing countries in expanding educational opportunity has been remarkable, considering how fast their school-age populations have grown. The evidence nonetheless suggests that governments already committed to educating their citizens face a more manageable task when each entering class of students is not much larger than the one that entered the previous year. The amount of government money per pupil in developing countries, for example, tends to decline as rapid population growth proceeds. Eventually, many governments adapt to this trend by shifting expenses to parents in the form of educational fees for school supplies.

Among poor families in developing countries, large family size may undermine economic opportunities for parents‹and, through potential impacts on schooling, ultimately for their children. Studies of the impact of family size on educational attainment have produced mixed findings. But the weight of the evidence suggests at least modest educational advantages for families with fewer children.1 Mothers with many children have less opportunity to earn income because of the attention their children require. Parents must devote relatively higher proportions of their income to their children's food, health and educational needs, at the cost of higher levels of saving and investment.

In Ghana, one study found that girls in large families were somewhat less likely than girls in smaller families to stay in school. Their parents apparently tended to invest their limited financial resources in the education of sons, thinking them a better bet for future earnings. Girls also more typically care for younger siblings, an activity that reduces the time available for class attendance and homework.2 Without reaching the upper grades in school, girls are far less likely to contribute to their nations' economies when they grow up, and they are more likely to bear children early.