Demographic change. (family) Flashcards
What is demography ?
The study of populations.
What are some of the statistics that the demography shows ?
Birth rates, death rates, fertility rates, childbearing trends, net migration.
What is the definition of net migration ?
The number of people moving into a country.
What has happened to the birth rate since the beginning of the 20th century ?
It has fallen significantly, with several fluctuations particularly after the two World Wars, with the children being born inside that time period being called baby boomers.
What has happened to the fertility rate since the 19th century and why ?
It has fallen significantly due to families having fewer children as they are seen as being a financial burden and more women are choosing to delay child birth or have non at all.
What has happened to the infant mortality rate since the 19th century and why ?
It has fallen significantly, with the initial impact being a large increase in the population. They then further fell due to children no longer being insurance children and instead were becoming a financial burden and there was a lag before the birth rates adapted to reflect the new infant mortality rates (demographic transition model).
What has happened to the mortality rate over recent years ?
It has fallen significantly.
What did McKeown (1972) argue / believe was the reason for the mortality rate to drop ?
He believed it was because of improved nutrition and therefore it was social and economic improvements that brought down the death rate rather than health innovations.
What did Tranter (1996) argue / believe was the reason for the infant mortality rate to drop ? (counter view / arguement)
He believed it was due to the elimination of preventable diseases.
What happened to net migration in the 20th century ?
It increased significantly, with more people arriving than leaving.
When were the waves of increased immigration and why ?
Immediately after the end of the Second World War (the government was trying to encourage immigration from commonwealth countries to work in various industries but emigration took place in Australia, US).
Late 1990’s early 2000’s, increase in the number of people claiming asylum (protection / safety) in the UK due to international conflict.
2004 onwards, significant immigration from within the EU.
What is emigration ?
Leaving your own country to go and live abroad.
What is immigration ?
Coming to your own country.
What has happened to life expectancy ?
It has increased, with males being (79.2) and women being (83.1)
Why do we have an ageing population ?
Because the birth rates, fertility rates and death rates are falling.
What is the demographic concept that is linked to fertility rate ?
Replacement level.
What is the replacement level showing ?
The rate has been below 2 and as a result we are seeing an ageing profile.
What has happened for older people as a result of them having an increased life expectancy ?
There are fewer young people to support them.
What does the “age pyramid” show ?
How the economically active section of society is able to pay for themselves and the older members of their family.
What does Donald Hirsch (2005) argue / believe ?
That western countries (UK) are turning the age pyramid on it’s head, and now resembles more of a pillar. He argued that people will have to work for longer or pay more tax in order to facilitate the growing economy.
What does Peter Townsend (1981) argue / believe ?
That old age is a social construction and has developed through a state imposed age where people feel they have to stop work and depend on pensions that are often not high and therefore find themselves in poverty.
What are some examples of what the ageing population will have an impact on ?
It increases the dependency ratio, making it difficult for societies / families to be able to facilitate for older members of society.
Health and social care is largely paid for by local councils or by themselves / families instead of by the NHS. This was partly in response to the Griffiths report which proposed an approach called Care in the Community.
What has an ageing population had an effect on in terms of funds ?
There have been cuts to funding meaning that increasingly families have to pay for healthcare, having an impact on whether or not older people are able to stay at their homes or pass them onto their children and move to a home.
What is a difference in how older people are viewed now in comparison to the early industrial period ?
Grandparent’s roles were to assist in the childcare, whereas in modern day families with longer life expectancies older people have a longer period where they receive care rather than providing it.
What is Care in the Community ?
Where older people are assisted and taken care of in their own home then being moved elsewhere.
What is an argument against older people being seen as a burden in society ?
Older people are seen as being a prosperous section of society, tending to be asset rich.
What is a problem with older people being asset rich ?
It means that younger families are unable to get family homes that are as nice / big as house prices have risen as older people are living longer and staying in their homes for longer causing a higher demand for family houses.
What does Jane Pilcher (1995 and 2010) argue / believe ?
That problems of an ageing population are to do with social policy decisions as well as demographic trends. Women live longer and therefore need more care however they tend to have smaller pensions, resulting in pensioner poverty.
What were social policies designed to do ?
Undo the damaging impact of social and gender inequalities which could help to get rid of the problems with an ageing population.
What is pensioner poverty ?
Where those who worked low income jobs / in poverty end up in poverty in their older years as well as they did not get much income in earlier life.
What does Andrew Blaikie (1999) argue / believe ?
That the idea of retirement of old age / retirement has changed lots in postmodern society. When society was based on production - older adults no longer became useful but they remained valuable as consumers. They have disposable income, leisure time and many products are marketed directly at them especially for those who want to reverse the ageing population.
