9B: Demographic characteristics and processes Flashcards
Demographics
The statistics of populations and are the mathematical applications of sociology
What are demographic categories?
Age, Gender, Race & Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Immigration Status
Race
A social construct based on phenotypic differences between groups of people
Ethnicity
A social construct which sorts people by cultural factors
Symbolic Ethnicity
A specific connection to ones ethnicity in which ethnic symbols and identity remain important even when ethnic identity does not play a significant role in everyday life
Gender
Range of masculinity and femininity characteristics in a person
Immigration Status
The movement of people from one country to another
Demographic Shifts
Changes in the makeup of a population over time
Fertility Rate
Average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime in a population
Mortality Rate
Number of deaths in a population per unit time
Demographic Transition
A model that describes population change over time; change in birth and death rates in a country
What are the stages of Demographic Transition?
- Preindustrial Society
- Urbanization
- Mature Industrial Age
- Post Industrial Society
Preindustrial Society
High birth and death rates; slow population growth
Urbanization
Improvement in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and wages; drop in death rate
Mature Industrial Age
Improvements in contraception, women’s rights and a shift from agricultural to an industrial economy causes birth rates to drop
Postindustrial Society
Birth and death rates are low
Malthusian Theory
Focus on how the exponential growth of a population can outpace growth of the food supply and lead to social degradation and disorder
Fertility
Ability to reproduce
Migration
Change of residence by an individual or group
Mortality
Frequency of death in a population, influence population size
Social Movements
Groups of people that gather to support a certain social/political goal and value
Globalization
The process of integrating the global economy with free trade and the tapping of foreign markets; decreases in geographical constraints on social and cultural exchanges
