June 2025
The outlook for women and girls in western Nepal looks better than it once did, thanks in part to our Global Partner in that country: the Rural Women’s Development and Unity Center (RUWDUC). The work the 30-year-old organization is doing to change norms and traditions that harm women and girls is having a profound and positive effect on the lives of historically marginalized people in Nepal.
A survey on Americans’ fertility perspectives, preferences, and impediments that we conducted in late 2024 is getting some welcomed media attention this spring, with articles in the New York Times and Fortune mentioning Population Connection by name. Results of our survey, conducted and analyzed by Lake Research Partners, are the subject of the second feature article in this issue.
Cover image: Nepalese women in the Manaslu Conservation Area, located in Gandaki Province, Nepal (Photo by Bruno Rijsman, courtesy of Flickr)
“Earlier this year, a survey by Population Connection found that, while most people want a small family, others feel unable to have more kids due to factors including affordability, the state of the world, and lack of societal support for parents. And while only 15% of those surveyed thought the falling fertility rate was one of the world’s biggest challenges, nearly half (45%) were actually concerned about population growth over fears of children living in poverty and depletion of natural resources.” –Beth Greenfield, Fortune
Features
Americans Want Small Families, Aren’t Concerned About Declining Birth Rates Changing Harmful Traditions and Empowering Women and Girls to Take Charge of Their Lives in Rural NepalDepartment Updates
President’s Circle Member Profile: Christopher Brown Global Partners: Turimiquire Foundation Virtual Events Washington View Field + Outreach Population EducationThe Trump administration froze foreign assistance within hours of the Inauguration and has dismantled USAID — the agency that had led the world’s bilateral humanitarian efforts for 60 years. Cartoon by Ed Wexler
Regular Columns