Demography Flashcards
1) Births = Why has it changed?
- Birth rate now 11.3/1000, used to be 29/1000 in 1901.
• Impact of feminism:
- Has led to a shift in attitudes, women now pursue successful careers and financial independence.
Sharpe = Girls in 70s focused on marriage, girls in 90s focused on careers.
Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act means women can pursue jobs with living wages.
Younger women are building careers before they have a family, reduces the amount of time they can have children before they are biologically incapable. Some women also may not have children at all, rejecting the housewife role.
2) Births = Why has it changed?
• Individualisation/Declining Stigma:
Structures that society used to control people’s lives have died. People prioritise what is best for them over what is best for society.
Used to be a stigma surrounding people who choose not to have children, but now people are free to choose whatever is best for them, and children can be hard work/time-consuming.
3) Births = Why has it changed?
• Falling Infant Mortality:
In 1901, 15% died before the age of 1. Parents would try not to get too attached and would have more children as ‘back ups’ in case some died. With significant medical advances, infant mortality rate has dropped massively. Less children as there is a far greater chance of them surviving into adulthood.
1) Deaths = Why has it changed?
• Increased Living Standards:
McKeown argues that there is a huge improvement in living standards, development of clean water/sewage system so eradicated most diseases that killed people.
1942 Beveridge Report: created the welfare system and provided benefits for those most disadvantaged in society.
2) Deaths = Why has it changed?
• Health Education:
People are far more aware of being healthy and unhealthy. E.g: Both smoking and illegal drugs used to be thought as being good for your health.
Harper = Argues that the greatest fall in death rates comes from the reduction in people smoking.
The public has a greater understanding of what counts as a healthy diet. The sugar tax reinforced this.
3) Deaths = Why has it changed?
• Globalisation:
- Increased transport technology means that people can lead healthier lifestyles: more varied diet due to food being imported from different countries.
Globalisation = can eat food picked 24 hours ago. Also, technology allows us to safely preserve food for much longer. E.g: fridges/freezers.
What are Beanpole Families?
• Brannen argued that the decreased birth and death rates created this. Very few members for each generation, but many generations alive at the same time.
Families are now multi-generational as people tend to live long enough ti have grandchildren, etc.
A type of modified extended family.
How has Births and Deaths impacted the family and society?
Equal Gender Roles = Hakim, voluntary childlessness. Gives women more freedom to focus on careers and achieving financial independence.
Ageing Population =
Hirsch argued that the traditional age pyramid is being replaced by an ‘age square’ where there is roughly the same number of people in each age category.
The average age of the population is getting older.
Ageing Population, Advantages:
- Increased role of Grandparents in the family:
• Ross et al: can provide free healthcare to the parents, meaning they are part of the primary socialisation process, as well as allowing both parents to work.
• Increases a family’s material resources, improving the quality of life for the family and helps with dependency ratio and pension timebomb.
- Positive Ageing & The Grey Pound:
• Blaikie argues that the way we view the elderly is changing, third age of active, leisure-based retirement where old people enjoy their freedom.
• Known as positive ageing and a result of an ageing population. Retirement is now seen as a more fulfilling time of life. Elderly people with disposable income.
Spending power of the elderly = Grey Pound, boosts the economy.
- Community Cohesion:
• Over 65s are far more likely to volunteer time for charity work / community projects. Less likely to commit crime, making society in general a better place to be.
Ageing Population, Disadvantages:
- Dependency Ratio:
• The ratio of people who are paying taxes:people who do not pay taxes.
• Most dependents are the retired elderly, who do not have enough money from a private pension to support themselves. This makes them rely on the benefits system for survival.
• Pension Timebomb: state has to put more money into supporting the elderly dependents.
- Healthcare & Strain on NHS:
• Oldest 20% of population accounted for 50% of people in hospital.
• More and more people caring for elderly relatives at home, leading to a sandwich generation of mainly women who suffer the dual burden/triple shift of looking after children and relatives.
- Housing Shortages:
• Old people staying in large family houses for longer causing house prices to rise as demand is high.
• Creates a clipped wings generation of young people who cannot afford their own home.
- Policy Implications:
• To deal with the pension timebomb, increase in taxes and increase in retirement age.
• Currently the retirement age is 66. Expected to go up to 68 from 2044.
Ageing Population Conclusion:
• Hirsch argues that old age is a social construct. Need to see the elderly as contributors to society instead of as incompetent. They are capable of working to support the economy.
Migration = Why has it changed?
Globalisation: the growing interconnectedness to the point where we are now one big global society due to…
1) New Transport Technology: Air travel such as planes allows people to journey anywhere in the world in less than a day, allowing a rise in international trade in migration.
2) New Communications Technology: Can communicate with everyone, instantaneously connects us with all other societies in the world. E.g: phones, social media.
3) Political Changes: there have been a number of different political organisations established such as the United Nations and the EU that encourage migration and international cooperation.
The waves of Migration:
1) 1950s - significant increase in black Caribbean families that tend to be single parent families. 2021 = 24% of black people live in a single parent family.
2) 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act: significant increase in South Asian families (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi). Multi-generational households.
Both the result of WW2, immigration to support economy.
3) 2004 - This was the largest enlargement of the EU in terms of people and number of countries. EE families increase looking for work.
What has Migration caused?
Family Diversity, increased the family diversity within the UK.
