The Politics of Latin American Family-Planning Policy

During the decade preceding the 1974 Bucharest "World Population Conference," a major shift occurred in the position of most Latin American governments toward supporting family planning. A review of several hundred published sources indicates that three major sectors of the population were instrumental in this policy change: technocrats (especially economists & planners), government officeholders (middle & upper administrators, & senior executives), & representatives of international donor agencies. Senior military leaders, high Church officials, & the Left generally opposed family planning programs & policies, but a lack of unity reduced their power with the politicians. At least three factors had a strong bearing on the direction & content of public policy: societal norms, social & economic institutions, & regime ideology. Sorting out the relative significance of these factors is a major task for those attempting to chart the direction of either sector demands or regime policy. For example, if large families reflect a belief in the economic or social utility of children, birth rates will fall with expanded social security & employment programs. Alternatively, if Latin American birth rates are largely a consequence of sociopsychological norms (eg, "machismo"), change could result from education efforts emphasizing the positive rewards & social esteem of "responsible parenthood." Research directed to isolating & weighing the relative significance in policy making of these norms, institutions, & ideology is the logical next step in the analysis of Latin American family planning policy. 1 Table. Modified AA.