Demographic Trends In Uk Since 1990 Flashcards
Changes in position of women— reason for decline in birth rate
-Right to vote
- More educational opportunities-do better than boys at school
Harper:
- Education is the most important reason for long term fall in birth rates they see it as another opportunity in life.
-1/5 of women aged 45 are childless
- Access to abortion and reliable contraception has led to arise in plastic sexuality where we have sex for pleasure not reproduction
- Women are more career orientated they delay having children or don’t have them at all
Infant mortality rate has fallen-decline in birth rate
- better housing
- Clean water
- Better nutrition
- Improved services for mothers and children
All of the above has produced a fall in birth rate as there’s no need to have children they now know children are likely to survive
Children used to be economic assets-fall in birth rate
- Could work
- Now are economic liabilities bans on child labour and compulsory schooling
- They are economically dependent on parents and a less able or willing to have children
Child centred families-decline in birth rate
- have less children lavish more attention
Improve nutrition - decline in death rate
McKneown:
- this accounts for a reduction in death rate
- There’s increased resistance to infection
Advances in medicine and healthcare - decline and death rate
- after 1950s: improved medical knowledge and techniques help produce death rates
- introduction of antibiotics, blood transfusions
- NHS was set up in 1948
Smoking and diet-decline in death rate
Harper:
- This is the main reason
- But 21st century obesity has replaced it as new lifestyle epidemic
- 2012: a quarter of adults are obese
- But deaths from it have been kept low due to drug therapies
Public health measures-decline in death rate
- improving housing-it’s less overcrowded and there’s better ventilation
- Purer drinking water
- Improving sewage disposal methods
Reasons for people leaving the UK in 20th century
- Economic reasons, higher wages, better job opportunities or poor performance of UK economy after 1945.
- Retirement reasons - may move to Spain, France et cetera.
Immigration into the UK is a result of these factors
- Government policies to attract foreign workers for example the NHS hire workers from abroad. Fast track job roles such as scientists and tech jobs.
- Economic circumstance in their home country it’s common in eastern European country’s for pay to be low and opportunity to be rare
- To avoid persecution: many Jews moved to the UK to avoid Nazism.
Consequences of birth rate falling
- less demand for schools and maternity services
- Affects the type of housing built
- If there’s small families women are more likely to be able to work this therefore creates dual earner families
Consequences of the fall and death rate and rising life expectancy
- Produces an aging population
- In 1971 the average age of the population was 34.1
- In 2020 it was 40.4
- It’s expected to be 42.8 in 2037
Impact of aging population
- Pressure on public services: elderly consume a lot for example public and social care. However, a lot of elderly people remain in good health so it’s important to not generalise.
- Changes in household consumption: 14% of households are pensioners living alone, mostly women as they tend to live longer and are usually younger.
- Problem of dependency ratio nonworking old people are economically dependent they need money for example through tax the age to receive tax increases.
Positives of aging population
- Provide childcare for grandchildren.
- Grey pound: elderly with savings and pensions are wealthy and want to spend.
