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F&H sociology > Demography > Flashcards

Demography Flashcards

1
Q

What is the ‘Big Three’ in Demography?

A
  1. Birth rate
  2. Death Rate
  3. Migration/immigration
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2
Q

What is the birth rate?

A

The number of live births per 1000 of the population

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3
Q

What is the death rate?

A

The number of death per 1000 of the population

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4
Q

What is the difference between migration, immigration and emigration?

A
  1. Migration - movement within the country
  2. Immigration - the number of people coming into the country
  3. Emigration - the number of people leaving the country
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5
Q

What’s the big picture of Britain’s demography?

A
  • the population has grown over the last century, but at a declining rate

E.G - first decade of 20th c growth rate 1%
first decade of 21st c growth rate 0.25%

  • Part of this is because of a long-lasting decline in the birth rate
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6
Q

List the reasons why the birth rate has declined.

A
  • decline of the IMR in the first half of 20th c
  • the changing role of women/genderquake
  • availability of contraction
  • commercialisation & expense of childhood
  • materialism & consumerism
  • people staying younger for longer
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7
Q

Why has the decline in the IMR affected the birth rate?

A
  • rapid improvements in healthcare
  • improvements in the cleanliness of water
  • improved living conditions
  • improved education & knowledge on hygiene

All meant fewer babies die early in life, therefore, women are compelled to have less children as all the ones they do have will survive

DECLINE

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8
Q

What does ‘genderquake’ mean?

A

A term invented by Wilkinson (1994) to describe the radical difference om attitudes towards family life, childbearing, education & careers of women

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9
Q

How has the changing role of women/gender make affected the birth rate?

A

Changing attitudes towards women meant their role of society has changed:

  • Women in the workplace gives them an economic function
  • Women have become more individualistic & independent meaning there is more choice around family life & childbearing
  • Many women have chosen to be careerists and put marriage & family lowers down in their priorities

All led to a DECLINE in the birth rate

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10
Q

How has the Feminist movement assisted the decline in the birth rate?

A
  • Feminist ideas have a large influence on social policy, led to the Equal Pay Act & the Equal Opportunities Act
  • gives Women an incentive to work rather than immediately follow the homemaker route
  • gives women greater choice - many choose careers and therefore, have babies later in life

All leads to a decline in births

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11
Q

How has contraception affected the birth rate?

A
  • from 1961, married women could get the pill for free from the NHS
  • in 1974, contraception was free to all women regardless of age or marital status
  • gave women control of their fertility, reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies
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12
Q

How the number of women on the pill change during the 1960s?

A

1962: 50,000 women on the pill
1969: jumped to 1 million

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13
Q

How has the commercialisation & expense of childhood caused a decline in the birth rate?

A
  • raising a child in modern, Western society had very much changed compared to pre-industrial society
  • now it’s very expensive to meet a child’s needs
  • 2014: The Centre of Economic and Buisness Research found:
  • tav cost of raising a child up to 21 years old in the UK was £227,000
  • parents spend 28% of their income on their offspring
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14
Q

How has materialism & consumerism affected the birth rate?

A
  • postmodernists argue it means people no longer feel the need for a family to be happy/successful in life
  • discourages some from having babies when they could buy a car instead
  • Beck & Beck-Gernshiem suggested that in late Capitalist society there are more options than family life for women. Many choose freedom & independence over a traditional lifestyle.
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15
Q

How has the idea of people stayed younger for longer affected the birth rate?

A
  • increasingly young people are attending higher education/focusing on careers for longer
  • this means they aren’t established still later in life & therefore, have babies at an older age than prev decades
  • Because they are older when they start a family, couples tend to want fewer children than prev generations
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16
Q

What statistics show women are having babies later in life?

A
  • in 1947, 47% of all births came from women aged 24 or under
  • in 2012, this had called to 23% of all births
  • the number of children born to women 40+ has more than doubled over the past year
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17
Q

What are the reasons for population growth?

A
  • up to the 1950s/60s natural change (more births than deaths) was the main reason for population growth
    • in the 50s, account for 98% of the population
  • Since the 1980s, net migration (immigrating exceeding emigration) has been the main factor
    • Cangiano (2014) estimates 1991-2012 accounts for 54%
      of the population
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18
Q

What is demography?

A

The study of human populations

  • their size
  • composition and distribution across space
  • and, the process through which populations change.
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19
Q

How has the death rate changed over the last century?

A
  • 1901, it was around 1.7%
  • 2013, it was approx 0.9%

DECLINE in deaths

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20
Q

List the reasons why the death rate has fallen.

A
  • Rising living standards & wages
  • 19th c public health policy
  • The provision of social housing for the poor
  • Maternity care improvements
  • Intro of the Welfare State
  • Creation of the NHS 1948
21
Q

How have rising living standards & wages impacted the death rate?

A
  • big impact at the start of the 20th c
  • lifted many out of poverty
  • improved their standard of living (diets, housing conditions)

This meant that people began to live for longer as they could afford better quality housing, food and support (e.g washing machines)

22
Q

How did 19th c public health policy decrease the number of deaths?

A
  • introduction of clean piped water into homes
  • improvements in the sewage system & sanitisation systems
  • prevented deadly diseases e.g cholera
    (killed prev generations)
23
Q

How has the provision of social housing for the poor impacted the death rate?

A
  • people who can’t afford good quality homes are provided with them
  • rather than living in bad conditions, they have council homes with good ventilation etc
  • contributed to the near eradication of TB in late 20th c

Caused people to die less

24
Q

How have improvements in maternity care impacted the death rate?

A
  • improved in the 20th c
  • means health care visitors were introduced to assist new mothers
  • babies get a better quality of care - lower IMF
25
Q

How has the Welfare State affected the death rate?

A
  • poorer sections of society are provided with a range of social & economic support/services
  • FSM, sickness & liability benefit, old-age pension, housing benefit…
  • ensures people are well looked after - caused a decline in the death rate
26
Q

How did the creation of the NHS (1948) cause a decline in the death rate?

A
  • everyone could get readily available healthcare
  • Better access to drugs, better surgery, helps the health of the nation by combating serious viruses/diseases
  • people receive good healthcare so live for longer
27
Q

What statistic predicts the future expansion of our ageing population?

A

61% increase in the no. of over 65s by 2038

Britain’s over 65s already outnumber under 16s

28
Q

Why is there an ageing population in the UK?

A
  • slowed birth & fertility rate compared to previous generations
  • Better quality & widespread healthcare (fall of death rate)
29
Q

How concerns does Hirsch express about the ageing population?

A
  • How will we pay for all these elderly people? (pensions)
  • How will the population manage to sustain a growing group of elderly adults?
  • What happens when the ‘baby boomers’ are in their 80s & 90?
30
Q

What does Peter Townsend contend about the ageing population?

A
  • old age is just a social construct
  • developed through state-imposed age of retirement
  • where you begin being dependant on inadequate pensions
  • (consequently, find themselves in poverty)
31
Q

What does Chamberlain argue about the ageing population?

A
  • the elderly often stereotyped as part of a culture decline - “unproductive, infirm and dependant”
  • argues that many elderly remain independent till death
  • often remain in paid work until they physically can’t, receding retirement age
  • they’re often seen an economic liability for families & the state - this is not true, they’re actually a resource & active players in family life (childcare)
32
Q

What statistics back up Chamberlain’s argument?

A
  • ONS reported 50% of the elderly enjoyed ‘good health’ (so can still be independent & work)
  • ONS found 16% of 65-74-year-olds were economically active
33
Q

List the consequences of an ageing population

A
  • more extended families in the same household
  • more beanpole families
  • saving childcare costs through grandparenting
  • issues for women (reinforcing gender stereotypes)
  • ‘pivot’ generation
  • funding/cost
34
Q

Which ethnic group, in particular, is affected by an increase in extended families caused by an ageing population?

A

British Asian/ Asian households

  • multigenerational households are common in Asian families
  • sense of duty
35
Q

What are beanpole families?

A

Families which are more vertical than horizontal

more adults than children

36
Q

How does the ageing population have a positive effect on childcare?

A
  • Grandparents can provide free childcare
  • Although increasing numbers of elderly people are healthy - there are limitations to this, some grandparents may need more care than children or physically can’t care for children
37
Q

What would Feminists contend about the ageing population’s impact on women?

A
  • the elderly members of the family are more like to be a burden on the females of the family in a patriarchal society
  • the responsibility of care usually falls on women
  • women are more likely to give up their jobs than men to handle this added responsibility
  • leads to the economic imbalances (female financially dependant) - reinforces gender stereotypes, room for exploitation
38
Q

What is the ‘pivot’ generation and what impact does the ageing population have on them?

A
  • the generation sandwiched between older & younger members of the family
  • have the responsibility of care for both gens
  • this is demanding & has a detrimental effect on their quality of life & emotional wellbeing
39
Q

What are the issues surrounding the cost which the ageing population causes?

A

Hirsch

  • issues of paying for social care & increased funding of the NHS
  • the dependency ratio will decrease further
  • people will either have to work for much longer or pay higher taxes
40
Q

What is globalisation?

A
  • mass migration, communications, internet & awareness of other cultures means we now live in a more globalised age
  • with more safe air travel & more porous borders, migration/immigration is much easier
41
Q

What are PUSH factors?

A

Factors that push citizens of one country to leave for another country

42
Q

What are the key PUSH factors that influence immigrants to move to the UK?

A
  • fleeing persecution
  • torture
  • religious oppression
  • refugee (war)
  • poverty
43
Q

What are PULL factors?

A

Factors pulling/attracting citizens of one country to leave for another country

44
Q

What are the key PULL factors that influence immigrants to move to the UK?

A
  • job opportunities which are more numerous than in the societies in which they were raised
  • educational opportunities = many are attracted by studying at uni’s/colleges in the UK
  • reuniting with family or friends
  • Welfare state (NHS)
45
Q

What are the current immigration statistics in the UK?

A
  • 86% white (80% born in UK though)
  • 6.8% Asian (desi)
  • 3.4% Afro-caribbean & African
  • 0.7% Chinese
  • 0.4% Arab
46
Q

What is the fastest-growing ethnic group in the UK today?

A 
Mixed Race (most commonly white & African/Caribbean)
* 2011 Census, 2.2% however this is rapidly growing
47
Q

What was the 1948 British Nationality Act & what effect did it have on the demographic of the UK?

A
  • Confirmed the status of British citizens of all commonwealth members: recognised their right to work, settle & bring their families
  • The amount of Indian in the country grew
    (1939) 9,300
    (1959) 500,000
48
Q

In 2013. what did the ONS predict about the future of the UK’s demographic?

A
  • over the next 25 years the population will grow by 9.6 MILLION
    - 57% will be from natural change
    - 43% a product of immigration

F&H sociology (5 decks)

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