11.3 Demographics Flashcards
demographics
the statistics of populations
the mathematical applications of sociology
common demographics
age, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration status
age cohort
ageism
prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a persons age
gender
the set of behavioural, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with a biological sex
gender inequality
the intentional or unintentional empowerment of one gender to the detriment of the other
gender segregation
the separation of individuals based on perceived gender
ex. male and female public restrooms, or male vs female sports team
race
a social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people; these may be either real or perceived differences
racialization
the definition or establishment of a group as a particular race
racial formation theory
a theory that says that racial identity is fluid and dependent on concurrent political, economic, and social factors
ethnicity
a social construct that sorts people by cultural factors including language, nationality, religion, and other factors
race vs ethnicity
one can choose whether or not to display ethnic identity, while racial identities are always on display
symbolic ethnicity
a specific connection to one’s ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important, even when ethnic identity does not play a significant role in everyday life
ex. an Irish-American who celebrate St. Patricks day but their Irish ethnicity does not play a significant role in their life during the rest of the year
sexual orientation
one’s sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes
kinsey scale
a scale of 1 to 6 with 1 being completely heterosexual and 6 being completely homosexual
a significant proportion of the population falls between the 2 extremes
intersectionality
the interplay between multiple demographic factors (especially when it leads to discrimination or oppression)
demographic shifts
changes in the makeup of a population over time
population pyramids
a way to visualize two variables: age and sex
fertility rate
the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population
birth rate
relative to a population size over time
usually measured as the number of births per 1000 people per year
mortality rates
the number of deaths in a population per unit time
crude rate
the total rate for a population (accounts for both birth rates and death rates simultaneously)
migration
refers to the movement of people from one geographic location to another
immigration
the movement INTO a new geographic area
emmigration
the movement AWAY from a geographic area
pull factors of migration
positive attributes of the new location that attract immigrants
push factors of migration
negative attributes of the old location that encourage the immigrant to leave
demographic transition
a specific example of demographic shift
refers to the changes in birth and death rates in a country as a result of industrialization
4 stages of demographic transition
stage 1: preindustrial society; birth and death rates are high
stage 2: death rates drop as healthcare (etc.) improve
stage 3: birth rates drop as contraception (etc.) improve; fertility rates also drop as parents need to support each child for longer (as they get an education, etc.)
stage 4: in an industrialized society, both birth and death rates are low
malthusian theory
focuses on how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply (and other resources) and lead to social degradation and disorder
social movements
organized to either promote or resist social change
relative deprivation
a decrease in resources, representation, or agency relative to the past or to the whole of society
proactive vs reactive social movements
proactive: promote social change
reactive: resist social change
globalization
the sharing of culture, money and products between countries
spurred by the improvement in global communication technology
decreases geographical constraints on social and cultural exchanges
urbanization
the movement of people from rural to urban areas
(urban areas = dense areas of population creating a pull for migration)
Ghettoes
areas where specific racial, ethnic, or religious minorities are concentrated (usually due to social or economic inequities)
slums
an extremely densely populated area of a city with low-quality or informal housing and poor sanitation
(an extreme type of Ghetto)
