Demography Flashcards
Why were there three ‘baby booms’ 1900-2014
two World Wars, servicemen came home and started families that had been postponed during the wars.
Two factors affecting birth rates
Number of women of childbearing age (taken to be 15-44)
Number of children they have. Total fertility rate (TFR) = the average number of children women have in their fertile years (15-44).
Reasons for decline in birth rate/total fertility rate
Changes in the position of women: easier access to divorce, abortion & contraception. More women working- have children later/less children.
Children = an economic liability. In the past, children - economic asset (used to work- make money). Now, can’t work (child labour banned), so an economic liability (cost money)- so people have less
What are the affects of the changes in birth rates
The family - smaller families - easier - women can work, creating dual earner couples (those where both partners work).
Public services and policies- lower birth rate = less schools, less child health services being needed - so less housing.
What are the three times that death rates have increased
two World Wars- flu epidemic in 1918.
Reasons for decline in death rates
1) Improved nutrition - stronger immune system (AO3: women used to get less food than men but lived longer).
2) Medical improvements e.g. vaccines.
3) Public health measures e.g. better housing, sewage, etc.
Other social changes/reasons:
Less people working in dangerous manual jobs like mining.
Smaller family sizes reducing the transmission of infection.
Greater public knowledge of the causes of illness.
Higher incomes, allowing healthier lifestyles.
Class, gender and regional differences in life expectancy
Women - live longer than men, although narrowed due to changes in employment (women working more) & lifestyles (women drinking and smoking more than in the past).
North and Scotland do not live as long as those in the South (due to more poverty, poorer diets, etc.).
WC men are unskilled, have routine jobs and are three times more likely to die before 65 than those in managerial/professional (MC) jobs.
Why is the age of the population rising
because there are less young people (due to the drop in the birth rate), and more older people (due to the drop in the death rate)
The main causes of this are:
Increasing life expectancy- people are more likely to live into older age.
Declining infant mortality- very few people now die young.
Declining fertility- fewer young people are produced in relation to the number of older people in the population
What are the effects of the aging population
Public services - older people use more health, social care services- more money is spent on these areas but it also creates jobs e.g. Nurses, doctors.
One-person pensioner households - the number of pensioners living alone increases - make up 14% of households. Most= female- longer life expectancy than men.
Disadvantages of the aging population t
Growing burden of dependence and the pension ‘time bomb’- increase burden of dependency.
More poverty and family hardship (Marxism) - retirement= drop in income, affects poorest the most.
A loss of skills and experience from the workforce.
More pensioner one person households- isolation/loneliness if partners die/live alone.
More work for women (Feminism) - burden of care for older relatives falls on women- already carry the majority of burden for childrearing and care in their families.
What is migration
the movement of people from one place to another.
What is immigration
people moving into a society.
What is emigration
people moving out of a society.
What is internal migration
people moving from one area in a country to another.
What is net migration
the difference between immigration and emigration, shown as a net increase (if immigration is higher) or a net decrease (if emigration is higher).
