Birth rate/death rate - Demography Flashcards
What is the total fertility rate?
1.83 in 2014 compared to 2.95 children in 1964s
What’s the reason for the change in fertility and birth rates?
- More women remaining childless
- More women postponing having children - avg age is 30
What are 4 reasons for the decline in the birth rate?
- Changes in womens position
- Decline in infant mortality rate
- CHildren now economic liability
- Child centerdness
Why are changes in womens position one of the reasons for the decline in the birth rate?
- More women in paid employment, easy access to divorce, easy access to contraception/abortion
What does Harper (2012) see as the reason for the decline?
Education of women. Change in mindset > fewer children. Now see possibilities outside traditional housewife/mother > delay children
- small families become norm > seen a less deviant/acceptable
What is the infant mortality rate?
- In Uk - 154 compared to 117 in 2024 in Afghanistan.
What happens as a result of child centeredness of families?
- Shift from ‘quantity’ to ‘quality’ parents now have fewer children & more attention
Why have there been an increase in birth rates since 2001?
- Increase in immigration. Mothers outside the UK have higher fertility rate - account for 25% of births in 2011.
What are 3 effects of changes in fertility?
- The family
- Dependency ratio
- Public services and policies
How does the family affect fertility?
-Smaller families > women more free to go to work > create dual-earning couple.
- better off couples able to have larger families and still afford childcare so can work full time
How does the dependency ratio affect fertility?
- Fall in number of children reduces the ‘burden of dependancy’ of working population.
What does Vanishing children mean
falling fertility rates > fewer children > childhood lonely > childless adults
Why do lower birth rates have consequences for public services?
Fewer schools and maternity and child health services may be needed. Affects cost of maternity/paternity leave.
What is one effect of women having fewer children?
Ageing population. More old compared to young.
Tranter – death rate
Death rate has declined so heavily in 19th/20th century due to fall in deaths from infectious diseases
→ Particularly TB
→ HOWEVER these have been replaced by diseases of affluence
- Heart disease, cancer
- Affect the old, rather than the young
Reasons for decline in death from infection
→ Improved nutrition
→ Medical advancements
→ Reduction in smoking?
→ Public health measure
→ Other social changes
McKeown – DR/nutrition
Nutritional accounts for half the reduction in deaths from infectious disease
→ Increased resistance for those infected
→ But, how come women live longer even though they tend to get smaller shares of the food supply?
Medical advancements – DR
→ Antibiotics/immunisation
→ NHS gives care to people
→ Bypass surgeries + medication for heart disease
Reduction in smoking – DR
→ May be counteracted by rise in obesity
- Deaths from this kept low due to medication
- Rise of American health culture where lifestyles are unhealthy, but long lifespan is achieved via medication
Harper – DR/smoking
Greatest fall in death comes from reduction in smoking
Public health measures – DR
Help to improve quality of the environment
→ Clean Air Act
→ Improved housing quality
→ Pasteurised milk
Other social changes – DR
→ Decline of dangerous manual occupations e.g. mining
→ Smaller families reduce transmission rates
→ Greater public knowledge of causes of infection
→ Lifestyle changes; reduction in smoking
→ Higher incomes; healthier, higher qual. lifestyle
