Causes In The Decline In Fertility Rate + Effects

Question 1

1. Changing position of women

Answer 1

• feminism + women’s movement = increased equal status between genders
• last 30 years has been a decrease of fertility rates for women over 30

Question 2

2. Rising costs of having children

Answer 2

• average size of the British family have decreased because of the costs of actually bringing up children

Question 3

3. Changing values

Answer 3

• parenthood involves greater pressure loss of freedom + independence
• growing individualisation + increase in feminism, women want more from life beyond motherhood

Question 4

4. Declining in infant morality rate

Answer 4

• the decline in infant morality rate and the death rate - means that fewer people are dying before adulthood + old age —> ageing population increasing

Question 5

5. Compulsory education

Answer 5

• children aren’t economic assets anymore become economic liabilities
• compulsory education has allowed children to be kids and not grow up like adults

Question 6

What are the effects of changes in fertility rates? ( positive )

Answer 6

• falling family sizes
• reduction of nuclear families
• increase in single person households
• smaller average household sizes

Question 7

Effects of declining fertility rate ( negative )

Answer 7

• increases the dependency ratio, essentially children and the elderly who depend on those who do work
• falling in youth dependency ratio, short term can be good for public finances, however in the long term it decreases the labour market