Births(families) Flashcards
Birth rates
The number of liver births per 1,000 of the population per year
Birth rates in 1990 and 2014
1990- 29
2014-12.2
The total fertility rate
The average number of children a woman will have in her fertile years (15-44)
Why has the birth rate declined
1) Changing positions of females
2) Social norms less expected to have kids not a necessity
3) More women in the workforce
4) education a legal requirement
5) easier and cheaper to divorce and live independently
6) birth control (contraception) and abortion are less stigmatised
The infant mortality rate has fallen considerably over the past 100 years why does this mean parents are having less children
Children are more likely to survive as mortality rate has decreased due to better standards of living
Children used to be an economic assets whereas now instead of earning money,they cost money
Because of children now being economic liabilities families have become more child centred
Families are more child centred
Changes in women’s position
Major changes in the 20th century including
- legal equality with men including the right to vote
- increased educational opportunities girls now do better in school than boys
- more women in paid employment and laws outlawing unequal pay an gender discrimination
- changes in attitude to family life and women’s role
- easier access to divorce
- access to abortion and reliable contraception
Sarah Harper (2012)
The education of women is the most important reason for the long term fall in birth and fertility rates.It has led to a change in mindset among women resulting in fewer children as they now see other possibilities in life apart from traditional house keeping roles
Decline in the infant mortality rate
The infant mortality rate measures the number of infants who die before their first birthday per thousands babies born alive per year
Harper argues that a fall in the IMR leads to a fall in the birth rate this is because if many infants die parents have more children to replace them increasing the birth rate if infants survive parents will have fewer children
Why the Infant Mortality Rate has decreasing
During the first half of the 20th century the UKs IMR began to fall this was due to several reasons
.improved housing and better sanitisation
.better nutrition including that of mothers
.better knowledge of hygiene
Children are now an economic liability
Until the late 19th century children were economic assets to their parents because they could be sent out to work from an early age to earn an income.
.Laws banning child labour, introducing compulsory schooling and raising the school leaving age means that children remain economically dependant on their parents for longer
. Changing norms about what children have a right to expect from their parents in material terms means that the cost of brining up children has risen
As a result of these financial pressures, parents now feel less able or willing than in the past to have a large family
Child centredness
Childhood is now a socially constructed as a uniquely important period in the individuals life.In terms of family size this has encouraged a shift from quantity to quality parents now have fewer children and lavish more attention and resources on these few
Future trends in birth rates
Birth rates,fertility rates and family sizes have fallen over the last century however there has been a slight increase in births since 2001
One reason for this is the increase in immigration because on average mothers from outside the UK have a higher fertility rate than those born in the UK. Babies born from mothers outside the UK accounted for 25% of all births in 2011
Effects of change in fertility
Changes in the number of babies born affect several aspects of society.These include the family,the dependency ratio,and public services and policies
The family
Smaller families that women are more likely to be free to go out to work,thus creating the dual earner couple typical of many families.However better off couples may be able to have larger families and still afford childcare that allows them both to work full-time
The dependency ratio
Relationship between the size of the working or productive part of the population and the size of the non working dependant part of the population
The earnings,saving and taxes of the working population must support the dependant population children make up a large number of the dependant population so a reduced number of children reduces the burden of dependancy on the working population
In the longer term fewer babies being born will mean fewer young adults and a smaller working population so the burden of dependant may increase again
Vanishing children
Falling fertility rates mean fewer children.As a result, childhood may become a lonelier experience as fewer children will have siblings and more childless adults mean fewer voices speaking up in support of childrens interests
Public services and policies
A lower birth rate has consequences for puplic services for example fewer schools and maternity and child heath services may be needed.affects the cost of maternity and paternity leave and the types of housings that need to be built
An ageing population
One effect of women having fewer babies is that the average age of the population is rising there are more old people relative to young people this ageing of the population has a number of important effects
