demography Flashcards
define birth rate
the number of live births per thousand of the population per year
what is the trend with the UK’s total fertility rate (TFR)
- has risen in recent years, but has ultimately decreased over time
- was at an all time low in 2001 with 1.63 children per woman
what are 2 reasons for the change in the fertility and birth rate
- women are increasingly remaining childless now
- women are having children at older ages, and so produce fewer children
outline changes in women’s positions as a reason for the declining birth rate + Harper’s view
- there have been changes in W’s positions;
- legal equality with men/ right to vote,
- increased educational opportunities,
- more W in paid employment,
- changes in attitudes to family life,
and easier access to divorce, contraception, abortion - Harper: the education of W is the most important factor in the fall in the BR + FR due to changed mindsets, larger focus on career, educated W are more likely to family plan - they are delaying childbearing or not doing it at all
- Harper: once a pattern of less children lasts for 1 generation, cultural norms about family sizes change
outline decline in infant mortality rate as a reason for the declining birth rate + Harper’s view
- infant mortality rate (IMR): the number of infants who die before their first birthday per thousand babies born alive per year
- Harper: a fall in the IMR leads to a fall in the BR as if infants die, parents will have more to replace them - vice versa
- in 1900 the UK’s IMR was 154
outline children being economic liability’s as a reason for the declining birth rate
- until the late 1800s, children were economic assets as they could earn an income from an early age
- however since then, children have increasingly become an economic liability due to;
- laws banning child labour, compulsory education, raising school leaving age mean children remain economically dependent on their parents for longer
- changing norms about what children should be able to expect from their parents material wise
- due to this, parents feel less able/ willing to have kids
outline recent birth rate trends + its cause
- there has been a slight increase since 2001
- this is due to an increase in immigration as usually mothers outside of the UK have more children than those UK born
outline child centeredness as a reason for the declining birth rate
- increasing child centeredness means that childhood is now seen as an important period in someone’s life
- this has encouraged a shift from quantity to quality - parents now have fewer children who they spend more attention and money on
outline the effect of family size on the family
- smaller families mean that women are more likely to go to work, creating more dual burden families
outline the effects of fertility on the dependency ratio
- dependency ratio = the ratio between the size of the working and non-working population
- earnings, savings and taxes of the working population are used to support the NW population in which children and the elderly make up a large portion of
- in the long term, less children being born means less young adults/ a smaller working population to support the NW and so the ratio will increase
outline the concept of vanishing children
- falling fertility rate means fewer children being born. thus, childhood may become more a lonelier experience as children will have less siblings to grow up with
outline the effects of fertility on public services and policies
- a lower BR results in fewer schools, child care/ health services being needed
- it also affects the cost of maternity and paternity leave
outline McKeown’s theory on improved nutrition as a reason for the decline in the death rate
- McKeown: improved nutrition accounts for half the reduction in the DR as better nutrition increases body resistance to infection and increases survival chances of those who did contract the disease
outline the ageing population
- there’s an ageing population; the avg age of the population is rising due to women having fewer babies
in 1900, the DR was __ compared to _ in 2012
- in 1900, the DR was 19 compared to 9 in 2012
define the death rate
- the number of deaths per thousand of the population per year
what is the reason for the declining death rate according to Tranter
- Tranter: over 3/4 of the decline in the DR was due to a fall in the number of deaths from infectious diseases as they were most common in kids and most of the decline in the DR occurred among children
what is an evaluation (AO3) of McKeown
- McKeown doesnt explain why women, who receive a smaller share of a family food share, lived longer than men
outline medical improvements as a reason for the decline in the death rate
- after the 1950s, improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisation did help to reduce death rates
- e.g. discovery of antibiotics, x-rays, blood transfusions, NHS 1948, surgery etc
outline changing smoking and diet habits as a reason for the decline in the death rate + Harper’s view
- Harper: the greatest reason for the fall in the DR is due to less people smoking. however, since the 21st century, obesity has replaced smoking as a new health epidemic
- yet, although obesity has increased, deaths from obesity have kept low due to drug therapies
outline public health measures as a reason for the decline in the death rate
- in the 20th century, there have been public health measures to improve public health + the quality of the environment
- e.g. improvements in housing (drier, better ventilated, less crowded), purer drinking water, improved sewage disposal, Clean Air Acts
outline other social changes as a reason for the decline in the death rate
- decline in dangerous manual occupations - e.g. mining
- smaller families reduced the rate of transmission of infection
- greater public knowledge of illness
- higher incomes, allows for healthier lifestyle
outline the class, gender and regional differences of life expectancy
- women live longer than men, but in recent years this gap had narrowed due to changes in employment + lifestyle (more W smoking)
- W/C men in unskilled/routine jobs are 3x more likely to die before they are 65 than men in professional jobs
- Walker: those living in the poorest areas die on avg 7 years earlier than those living in the richest areas
what is the trend of the ageing population
- the avg age of the UK population is rising