In the early years of humanity, population growth has not been an issue. This is because of a variety of different environmental factors. Sickness and disease played a large role in keeping the human population under control since the beginning of time, and it seemed that when a population would get overcrowded, an epidemic such as influenza or smallpox would break out; this would decrease the population enough to keep it under control. Famine is another great controller of population. When a famine strikes an area only the few with enough food will be able to reproduce or even survive. An examination of world population control would not be complete with out including war. War also performs wonders at controlling population by murdering most men of child-rearing age. In today's day and age, with our current technology increases disease outbreak and famine (except in some 3rd world countries) is not much of a factor any more. War is not considered a valid population control method due to today's "new" wars. Without the three largest population controllers much of a factor any more, population is free to run out of control. This provides us with an ever-increasing controversy; this is whether government or society should dictate the family size.
             I believe that society can infringe indirect controls over family size, but these are considered more community norms as opposed to hard fast rules such as governments can set. Two examples will follow. First, we will look at our society. Yes, the USA's turn to no child and one-child families. This was caused by society. Society pushes Americans to have successful careers both male and female. There has been a switch from families to careers. This does not providing Americans with the time or means for multiple children, but cutting the number down to one or none. Another example of society's control is the push in some Asian/Middle Eastern countries for a family's first child to be male. Ev...