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DRASTIC MEASURE SUGGESTED FOR POPULATION INCREASE: RADICAL SPECIALISTS IGNITE DEBATE WITH CALL FOR LEGALIZED POLYGAMY
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
Society | 25.10.12 | 14:02
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
Suggestions by at least one sociologist to introduce polygamy as a
means on how to solve the dire demographic issues Christian Armenia
is severely challenged with has raised something close to a public
tornado. Some, however, are convinced that Armenia should consider
the issue, just as Israel, where introduction of polygamy is being
discussed as a possible countermeasure against the demographic
expansion of Muslim countries.
Armenia is, indeed, on the verge of demographic crisis - birthrate
has seen 50 percent decrease and immigration indexes have increased
considerably. By UN Population Fund's (UNPF) predictions at this
rate by 2050 the population of Armenia will be 2.3 - 2.5 million,
when Azerbaijan's population will be doubled, reaching from today's
9 million to 18.
Doctor, psychiatrist Harutyun Minasyan says solving social issues is
not enough to meet the demographic challenge, because of infertility
and the insufficient amount of men represented in the parenting
demographic.
"It is a serious challenge for our country, mostly the families who
have boys have left the country because of the war, and now young
men are leaving the country because of social issues, this leads to
quantitative imbalance between men and women of reproductive age -
this is the main reason why polygamy should be encouraged," Minasyan,
heading Nor Arabkir health center, told ArmeniaNow.
According to his data, the ratio gap between men and women of
reproductive age will lead to further cut in birthrate.
"By non-official data, the ratio is one man to seven women, we
have 60,000 women of reproductive age in Armenia (single, divorced
and widowed), who can still have children, but because of negative
public attitude they refrain from having children, and if polygamy
is encouraged they can have legal children," says Minasyan.
Another supporter of the idea, sociologist Aharon Adibekyan is calling
"to put aside fake morality of petty bourgeoisie for the sake of the
nation's survival".
"The Armenian nation is on the list of declining nations in the
United Nation's Population Fund report. Look at it pragmatically: we
either stay loyal to our Christian values and fade away or reconsider
our values and traditions for the sake of survival of our nation,"
Adibekyan told ArmeniaNow.
According to official data, the number of women and men in Armenia
is almost equal - 52 and 48 percent respectively, however, Adibekyan
claims that in reality there are currently much fewer men in the
country.
"After completing the army service young men leave the country almost
immediately because they can't find employment. If there is a long way
to go for economic development, then the issue is going to be hard
to solve, so we should allow at least those men who are in Armenia
to have more than one wife and boost the birth-rate," says Adibekyan.
According to him, every 10th potential bride is left without a couple,
and having a child without first getting marriage is viewed as disgrace
in Armenia.
"A child has to be born in a family, even if it's the second or third
family [of the same man], beside the fact that illegal children are
treated as bastards in our society, there are plenty of studies showing
that children who grow up in father-less families are more prone to
becoming criminals and drug-addicts. Hence, a full family is required,
and if there are not enough men, there has to be polygamy," he says.
The biggest issue is the infertility rate; by official data 20 percent
of women are infertile, and as Minasyan says, "if a woman can't have
a child, no matter how many social projects the state implements,
it won't help".
"By international standards, a country is on the verge of a demographic
crisis when infertility rate reaches 15 percent, meanwhile in Armenia
it is 20. They say in that case the solution is surrogate maternity,
but it's not an option yet, since it's too expensive a 'pleasure',"
says Minasyan.
Surrogate mother service in Armenia costs $25,000; by non-official
data annually some 100 deals are made, however there is no data on
how many children are actually born.
The idea of polygamy in conservative Armenia is taken with sharp
hostility, despite the fact that historically - in pagan and
early-Christian Armenia - polygamy did exist, the Armenian royal
court even had a ministry for the protection, training and education
of the kings' wives and children.
"It is not a solution, but futile talks by futile people, and if those
short-sighted ill-judged ideas attract attention, we will also use our
Armenian families, and that will be the end of it - everything will
collapse," says president of Armenian Social-Democratic Initiative
NGO Ruben Yegoyan with outrage.
He does not deny the serious demographic issues apparent in Armenia,
but believes it is mostly because of social issues.
"It is not the lack of men that children are not born, but because
of lack of sufficient means and unemployment. How many men can
afford having two families and support them? It is not serious,"
says Yeganyan.
United Nations Population Fund executive officer Garik Hayrapetyan
is convinced that the issue is not based on a reliable research,
and concrete statistical data on the gap in men and women ratio are
required to understand whether polygamy is really necessary.
"First of all it has to be researched, it is wrong to suggest solutions
based merely on emotions or assumptions. As for the future, it will
not even be an issue, since we are going to have a reverse picture -
the number of boys will predominate and we'll have lack of girls,"
he told ArmeniaNow.
The survey recently initiated by the Fund has revealed that selective
abortions in Armenia have reached alarming scales, and as a result
50,000 more boys have been born in Armenia since 1993 than girls.
"These boys will soon become of reproductive age, and how are we going
to have polygamy, if there soon will be 1.5 times more men among
Armenian population than women? So talking about polygamy today is
groundless, to say the least," says Hayrapetyan.
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
Society | 25.10.12 | 14:02
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
Suggestions by at least one sociologist to introduce polygamy as a
means on how to solve the dire demographic issues Christian Armenia
is severely challenged with has raised something close to a public
tornado. Some, however, are convinced that Armenia should consider
the issue, just as Israel, where introduction of polygamy is being
discussed as a possible countermeasure against the demographic
expansion of Muslim countries.
Armenia is, indeed, on the verge of demographic crisis - birthrate
has seen 50 percent decrease and immigration indexes have increased
considerably. By UN Population Fund's (UNPF) predictions at this
rate by 2050 the population of Armenia will be 2.3 - 2.5 million,
when Azerbaijan's population will be doubled, reaching from today's
9 million to 18.
Doctor, psychiatrist Harutyun Minasyan says solving social issues is
not enough to meet the demographic challenge, because of infertility
and the insufficient amount of men represented in the parenting
demographic.
"It is a serious challenge for our country, mostly the families who
have boys have left the country because of the war, and now young
men are leaving the country because of social issues, this leads to
quantitative imbalance between men and women of reproductive age -
this is the main reason why polygamy should be encouraged," Minasyan,
heading Nor Arabkir health center, told ArmeniaNow.
According to his data, the ratio gap between men and women of
reproductive age will lead to further cut in birthrate.
"By non-official data, the ratio is one man to seven women, we
have 60,000 women of reproductive age in Armenia (single, divorced
and widowed), who can still have children, but because of negative
public attitude they refrain from having children, and if polygamy
is encouraged they can have legal children," says Minasyan.
Another supporter of the idea, sociologist Aharon Adibekyan is calling
"to put aside fake morality of petty bourgeoisie for the sake of the
nation's survival".
"The Armenian nation is on the list of declining nations in the
United Nation's Population Fund report. Look at it pragmatically: we
either stay loyal to our Christian values and fade away or reconsider
our values and traditions for the sake of survival of our nation,"
Adibekyan told ArmeniaNow.
According to official data, the number of women and men in Armenia
is almost equal - 52 and 48 percent respectively, however, Adibekyan
claims that in reality there are currently much fewer men in the
country.
"After completing the army service young men leave the country almost
immediately because they can't find employment. If there is a long way
to go for economic development, then the issue is going to be hard
to solve, so we should allow at least those men who are in Armenia
to have more than one wife and boost the birth-rate," says Adibekyan.
According to him, every 10th potential bride is left without a couple,
and having a child without first getting marriage is viewed as disgrace
in Armenia.
"A child has to be born in a family, even if it's the second or third
family [of the same man], beside the fact that illegal children are
treated as bastards in our society, there are plenty of studies showing
that children who grow up in father-less families are more prone to
becoming criminals and drug-addicts. Hence, a full family is required,
and if there are not enough men, there has to be polygamy," he says.
The biggest issue is the infertility rate; by official data 20 percent
of women are infertile, and as Minasyan says, "if a woman can't have
a child, no matter how many social projects the state implements,
it won't help".
"By international standards, a country is on the verge of a demographic
crisis when infertility rate reaches 15 percent, meanwhile in Armenia
it is 20. They say in that case the solution is surrogate maternity,
but it's not an option yet, since it's too expensive a 'pleasure',"
says Minasyan.
Surrogate mother service in Armenia costs $25,000; by non-official
data annually some 100 deals are made, however there is no data on
how many children are actually born.
The idea of polygamy in conservative Armenia is taken with sharp
hostility, despite the fact that historically - in pagan and
early-Christian Armenia - polygamy did exist, the Armenian royal
court even had a ministry for the protection, training and education
of the kings' wives and children.
"It is not a solution, but futile talks by futile people, and if those
short-sighted ill-judged ideas attract attention, we will also use our
Armenian families, and that will be the end of it - everything will
collapse," says president of Armenian Social-Democratic Initiative
NGO Ruben Yegoyan with outrage.
He does not deny the serious demographic issues apparent in Armenia,
but believes it is mostly because of social issues.
"It is not the lack of men that children are not born, but because
of lack of sufficient means and unemployment. How many men can
afford having two families and support them? It is not serious,"
says Yeganyan.
United Nations Population Fund executive officer Garik Hayrapetyan
is convinced that the issue is not based on a reliable research,
and concrete statistical data on the gap in men and women ratio are
required to understand whether polygamy is really necessary.
"First of all it has to be researched, it is wrong to suggest solutions
based merely on emotions or assumptions. As for the future, it will
not even be an issue, since we are going to have a reverse picture -
the number of boys will predominate and we'll have lack of girls,"
he told ArmeniaNow.
The survey recently initiated by the Fund has revealed that selective
abortions in Armenia have reached alarming scales, and as a result
50,000 more boys have been born in Armenia since 1993 than girls.
"These boys will soon become of reproductive age, and how are we going
to have polygamy, if there soon will be 1.5 times more men among
Armenian population than women? So talking about polygamy today is
groundless, to say the least," says Hayrapetyan.