Demographic trends & childhood

Question 1

Birth rates

Answer 1

Long term decline in number of births

Question 2

Why has there been a decline in number of births

Answer 2

• positions of women have changed
• legal equality with men
• education opportunities
• women in paid employment
• changing attitudes to family and children
• easier divorces
• access to contraception and abortion

Question 3

What is Harpers theory about low birth rates

Answer 3

Education of women is the main reason for lower birth rates as it has changed women’s mindsets

Question 4

Children are expensive

Answer 4

Children can no longer work and bring in an income

Pester power- asking for something many times until they get it

Question 5

Why has death rate declined

Answer 5

Medical improvements
Nutrition
Smoking and diet- reduction in number on people smoking due to law changes, obesity has replaced smoking
Public health measures
Social changes- smaller families&raquo_space; lower infection transmission, less dangerous occupations in the past

Question 6

What causes an ageing population

Answer 6

Increasing life expectancy
Declining infant mortality
Declining fertility

Question 7

What are the advantages of an ageing population

Answer 7

Boost to the economy
More social cohesion and community involvement
Less crime
Family support

Question 8

What are the disadvantages of an ageing population

Answer 8

Growing burden of dependence and ‘the pension time Bomb’
More poverty and hardship
Loss of skill and experience in the labour force
I’ll health and disability
Housing shortages

Question 9

What is migration

Answer 9

Movement of people from one place to another

Question 10

What is the impact of migration

Answer 10

Population size
Age structure
Directly- immigrants tend to be younger than the general UK population
Indirectly- with a lower average age there is an increased chance of children
Dependency ratio
Immigrants tend to be of working age which lowers the DR
Younger age group and increased chance of children can increase the DR

Question 11

What does Wagg say about childhood

Answer 11

Childhood is socially constructed&raquo_space; there is no single universal childhood&raquo_space; isn’t ‘natural’ and should be distinguished from mere biological immaturity

Question 12

What is the modern concept of childhood (western world)

Answer 12

Childhood is seen as a ‘special’ time in our lives

Children are different to adults

Question 13

What did Aries study and find about childhood

Answer 13

Medieval period
Childhood does not exist
Children are out to work as soon as they can
Seen as ‘little adults’

Question 14

Industrialisation and childhood

Answer 14

Modern industry needs an educated workforce

And this requires compulsory schooling of the young

Question 15

Childhood and modernity

Answer 15

Shift from images and of the child as mischievous and selfish in need of discipline to essentially good and in need of guidance into adulthood

Question 16

What’s do Aries and Shorter think about childhood

Answer 16

Hold a ‘march of progress view’ that children today are more valued and better cared for, protected, educated than those in previous generations

Question 17

What is a criticism of Aries and Shorters theory

Answer 17

The march of progress view is disputed as there is more inequalities amongst children according to culture/ gender/ race/ class

Question 18

Why has the position of children changed in society

Answer 18

Labour laws 
Compulsory education 
Child protection laws
Children rights 
Smaller family size and lower levels of infant mortality 
Industrialisation of the western world