Births Flashcards
Birth Rates and Fertility Trends
•The birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year.
Historical Fluctuations
•First Baby Boom: Post-World War I (1918).
•Second Baby Boom: Post-World War II (1939-1945).
•Third Baby Boom: In the 1960s, followed by a sharp decline in the 1970s.
Recent Trends
•Birth rate increased during the 1980s, fell after the early 1990s, and declined sharply during the 2000s.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
•Definition: Average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime.
•Historical Data:
•1960s: TFR was around 2.5 children per woman.
•2014: TFR reduced to approximately 1.8 children per woman.
Long-Term Trends
•The UK’s TFR has risen since 2001 but remains much lower than in the past.
•1860: Average of 5.7 births per woman.
•2014: Reduced to about 1.8 births per woman.
Factors Influencing Changes
•Changes in birth and fertility rates reflect societal, economic, and cultural factors such as family planning, economic conditions, and social policies.
Reason for decline in the birth rate
-changing in the position of women
Key Changes in the 20th Century:
•Legal Equality: Women achieved legal equality with men, including the right to vote.
•Educational Opportunities: Girls now outperform boys in school.
•Employment: Increased participation of women in paid employment, supported by laws against unequal pay and sex discrimination.
•Attitudinal Shifts: Society’s attitudes towards family life and women’s roles have evolved.
•Divorce: Easier access to divorce.
•Reproductive Control: Greater access to reliable contraception and abortion, allowing women more control over their fertility.
Impact on Women’s Choices:
•Women now explore roles beyond the traditional housewife/mother.
•Many women are choosing to delay childbirth or not to have children at all to focus on their careers.
•Example: In 2006, 1 in 5 women aged 45 was childless, which is double the number 20 years earlier.
Role of Education:
•Harper (2012): Education is the most significant factor behind these changes.
•Educated women are more likely to use family planning and pursue careers, leading to smaller families and more women remaining childless.
Changing position of women AO3
Radical Feminist View:
•Continued Oppression: Radical feminists argue that, despite progress, women are still oppressed in society.
•Sexual Regulation: They believe that women are sexually regulated and controlled by men, which limits their true freedom and equality.
•Not all women have managed to “break through” the glass ceiling, indicating ongoing gender inequality in professional and societal structures.
Decline in the infant mortality rates
•Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): The number of infants who die before their first birthday per 1,000 live births per year.
Key Points:
•IMR & Birth Rate: A decline in IMR often leads to a decline in the birth rate. When more infants survive, parents may choose to have fewer children.
•Historical Decline in IMR:
•Early 20th Century UK: The IMR began to fall due to:
•Improved housing and sanitation (e.g., flush toilets, clean drinking water).
•Fewer married women working, which may have improved maternal and infant health.
•Better services for mothers and children, including antenatal and postnatal clinics.
IMR Statistics:
•Historically: 50 per 1,000 live births.
Decline infant mortality rate AO3
•Challenging the IMR-Birth Rate Link: While many sociologists argue that a decline in the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) leads to a decrease in birth rates, not all agree.
Alternative View:
•Brass and Kabir (1978):
•Observation: The trend toward smaller families began in urban areas, where the IMR was higher for longer.
•Implication: This suggests that factors other than IMR, such as urbanization and social changes, might have influenced the decline in birth rates.
Children became an economic liability
•Economic Asset to Liability:
•Before Late 19th Century: Children were seen as economic assets as they could work from an early age, contributing to the family income.
•Since Late 19th Century: Children have become economic liabilities due to changing laws and social norms.
Reasons for Shift:
•Child Labor Laws: Banning child labor reduced children’s ability to earn.
•Compulsory Schooling: Extended education keeps children dependent on parents for longer.
•Raised School Leaving Age: Further delays children’s financial independence.
Children became economic liability
AO3
•Family Size Variation:
•Ethnic Minority Groups: Many ethnic minority groups tend to have above-average family sizes compared to the general population.
•Implication: The trend of children becoming an economic liability and having smaller families may not apply universally across all ethnic groups.
Child centredness
Child-Centredness:
-An increasing focus on the needs and well-being of children within families and society.
Impact on Family Size:
•Shift from Quantity to Quality:
•Fewer Children: Parents have fewer children.
•Increased Attention: More attention and resources are devoted to each child.
Child centredness AO3
Child Liberationists’ View:
•Dark Side of the Family: They argue that not all families are child-centred and highlight issues such as domestic violence.
Evidence:
•Domestic Violence Statistics: Indicate that some families may have harmful environments for children, contradicting the idea of universally supportive, child-centred family settings.
