demographic trends since 1900

Question 1

what notes and statistics can be said about the change in birth rate since 1900?

Answer 1

• current birth rate in 2025 is 11.075 births per 1000 people, a 0.86% decline in birth rates
• official figures released in 2022 show record numbers of women are reaching age of 30 child free

Question 2

why has birth rate decreased?

Answer 2

• economic changes
• improved living standards and cost of living
• technological advances such as contraception and changes in role of women - more women in work means they have fewer babies
• postmodernist - individualisation thesis means having children is more of a choice
• women feel like they will have a lack of support if they have children

Question 3

what can be said about the trend in death rates since 1900?

Answer 3

• refers to number of death rates per 1000 per year
• death rates have outnumbered birth rates

Question 4

what reasons are there for the decline in death rates since 1900?

Answer 4

• medical advancements, better healthcare, improved public health, decline in diseases

Question 5

what can be said about the trend of family size since 1900?

Answer 5

• family size decreased since 1900s
• during early 20th century families had an average size of 4-5 children
• families have difficult financial choices - if both parents working then won’t spend time with children so choose not to have them
• contraception - choice of kids
• women’s personal freedom - choose when they have kids and whether its delayed

Question 6

what can be said about the trend in life expectancy since 1900?

Answer 6

• 1900 the average life expectancy was 50yrs for men and 55 for women - 2020 it increased to 79 yrs for men and 89 for women
• leads to bean pole families (great grandparents)

Question 7

what reasons are there for the increase in life expectancy?

Answer 7

• improved living standards and working conditions
• improved healthcare and technology

Question 8

what can be said about the trend in ageing population since 1900?

Answer 8

• due to the baby boom (noticeable increase in birth rates after war)
• increase in life expectancy so more elderly people

Question 9

what reasons can be given for migration and globalisation?

Answer 9

• greater economic growth
• improved productivity
• seek better living standards
• war
• poverty alleviation
• more consumption of goods leading to climate change/ deforestation
• shares prosperity
• expands business operations worldwide
• more culturally divisive family types - more mixed ethnicity marriages

Question 10

the implication of ageing population being a burden on public services and the dependency ratio (balance between working and non-working pop) would be?

Answer 10

• gov concerned that dependent elderly will soon outnumber tax-paying workers and that state may not be able to afford to pay for the health care and pensions of an ageing population

Question 11

the implication of more one person households would be?

Answer 11

• in 2013 14% of all households consisted of an elderly person who lived alone
• most likely women as they generally have longer life expectancy than men
• Chambers 2012 refers to this as the ‘feminisation of later life’

Question 12

what implication of an increase in beanpole and extended families would there be according to Brannen 2003 and Ross et al 2005?

Answer 12

• Brannen claims that the decline in birth rate and rise in life expectancy have combined to produce the beanpole family
• as ppl live longer and have fewer children relationships between grandparents, parents and children have become more significant
• families are now multigenerational
• Ross et al claims that the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren has become significant because grandparents now play a major role in both economic maintenance of nuclear families and primary socialisation of children

Question 13

what implication of ‘positive ageing’ is there according to Blaikie 1999?

Answer 13

• observes that the growing number of empty nesters and more affluent retirees has brought about a change in how the elderly are viewed
• now exists an active but leisure-based ‘third age’ in which the elderly are seen as a means of boosting the economy rather than a dependency problem as they have more disposable income rather than previous generations

Question 14

outline two ways that the baby boom generation might impact government policy as a result of the Griffiths report 1983?

Answer 14

• coalition gov 2010-2015 increased the state pension age to 66 and there are plans of a future increase to 70 in order to cover the costs of this trend
• another way that it may impact gov policy is that there will be more to help the elderly and provide equal pensions for all