Demography Flashcards
Reasons for decline in birth and fertility rates
Changing position of women in society
Decline in infant mortality rate
Cost of having children
Growth of child cent-redness
Changing position of women in society
Society has undergone a gender quake and there has been the feminisation of the economy due to the decline in industry and manual jobs
There are more protections eg equal pay and sex discrimination act so women pursue employment and children later
Average first time mother is 29 (23 in the 60’s)
Since 1967 reduction in likelihood of unplanned pregnancies
Voluntary childlessness - 20% there is less stigma
Changing position of women evaluation
Many women still give up their careers to have children whilst there husbands work suggesting little has changed
There are still lots of women who have children early and lots of them
Childless women are still questioned on when they will have children
Decline in infant mortality rates
March of progress :
Until the end of the 19th century IMR were extremely high
Accidents in the workplace were common with children undertaking life risking jobs
At the end of the 19th century laws prevented children from working in dangerous jobs
Also since 1948 saw childhood vaccination programmes which reduce illness meaning more children live in to adult life
In the past people would have lots of children as an insurance policy
However as IMR is low risk , parents only have 1 or 2 children
Evaluation of decline in infant mortality rates
In the past parents didn’t have the education and knowledge about reproduction
Its very unlikely that parents actively consider the IMR
The cost of having children
March of progress
In the past children were an economic asset however following child employment laws and compulsory education , children have stopped being mini adults and have become an economic burden instead
Children expectations have increased : Pugh pester power
With the age of compulsory ed being raised in 2015 , young people are financially dependent for longer
Many parents simply cannot afford to have more children
Evaluation of the cost of having children
Those from low income families tend to have more children
There are child welfare services that families have access to so finance isn’t a major factor
Growth of child centred ness
March of progress : Cunningham
By the mid 1900’ British families have become child centred - kids are seen as vulnerable and need nurturing
In the past children were to be seen and not heard nowadays they have a voice
Parents deliberately have fewer children to ensure their children are their priority .
This allows them to pay more attention and spend more money on them
Evaluation of growth of child centred ness
It is a consequence of fewer children rather than a cause , child centred ness doesn’t influence how many children someone will have
There are practical reasons why parents have less children
Effects of lower birth rates on families and society
Smaller family sizes
Impact on the dependancy ratio
impact on policies and public services
Smaller family sizes
In the 90’ 2-3 children was the norm
Now 1-2 ism the norm
Also contributes to the formation of the beanpole family (multiple small generations alive at the same time)
Created with a combination of fewer children n/f older people living longer
Positive and negative evaluation of smaller family sizes
Positive :
financial benefit as expenses are reduced
Allows families to have close bonds
Negative :
Can be connected to loneliness as children
More pressure to support one another
Impact on the dependancy ratio
Refers to the no. of people who are in paid employment vs those who are not
Children are included in the dependent population .
Short term : lower brith rates means there are less who are dependant
Long term : fewer babies means less workers for the future
Positive and negative evaluation of impact on the dependancy ratio
Positive : in the short term fewer children means less of a burden on the independent population
Negative : less future workers so less taxes
Impact on public services
Families are entitled to child benefits
£20.7 for their eldest and £13.7 for any others
Children are legally required to stay in education to 18 which is free of charge
Healthcare programmes are targeted at children eg vaccinations
Positive and negative evaluation of the impact on public services
Positive : reduces financial burden on the family
Negative : birth rates still fluctuate and if funding is cut and birth rates rise then the quality of service will be poorer
Reasons for increased life expectancy
Improved nutrition
Public health measures
medical improvements
better lifestyles and fewer bad habits
Improved nutrition
Cultural sociologists :
People have a better awareness of healthy choices and diets
Schemes such as slimming world and change for life have lead to people having healthier diets
2005 Jamie Oliver ensured school children received healthier school meals
2018 sugar tax was introduced .
Healthier diets mean people are able to fight off diseases easier
Evaluation of improved nutrition
Our poor nutrition means some life expectancies are lower due to health conditions eg diabetes
Lost of evidence suggests nutrition is not improving eg we have one of the highest obesity rates
Medical improvements
Vaccination programmes have lead to herd immunisation against TB and measles
Major killers of the past nowadays have very little impact
Treatment has improved eg surgeries have improved massively
Diagnosis and screening has improved with scans leading to higher and earlier detections of diseases and therefore better treatments
Evaluation of medical improvements
The majority of people will go through their adult life without needing medical intervention suggesting that that is not the reason for increased life expectancy
Death rates of TB fell before mass vaccinations schemes took place
Public health measures
Non medical interventions and adjustments
1930’s slum clearance in Britain - poor quality housing was torn down and rebuilt helping reduce health issues
1956 clean air act strived to reduce respiratory illnesses for people
Over time people have acknowledged the importance of basic hand washing and hygiene which reduces the spread of diseases
100% of UK properties have access to clean water
Better understanding has resulted in a rise in the life expectancy
Evaluation of public health measures
Some diseases do require medical intervention eg measles
Public health measures alone are not enough to slow the spread of diseases
Better lifestyles and fewer bad habits
Cultural sociologist
People generally life better lifestyles today eg engage in physical activity
Change 4 life is raising awareness
Growth in national challenges such as couch to 5k offer motivation and helps build up immune systems
Decline in bad habits such as the number of smokers and alcohol consumption
Likely to reduce the chances of a premature death