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
