Demography Flashcards
Birth rate trend
Long term decline in birth rate, 3 baby booms after ww1,ww2, and the 1960s
Reasons for birth rate decline
- changes in positions of women
- fall in infant mortality rate
- children as an economic liability
- child centeredness
Impacts of a declining birth rate
The dependency ratio increases - the relationship between the size of the working population and the non-working (dependent) population.
The working population’s earnings support the dependent population through tax
Women are having fewer children because this reduces the ‘burden of dependency’
Public services - fewer schools, child health services etc
Overall death trend
Declining, despite ww1, ww2 and 1918 flu epidemic
Reasons for a decline in deaths
Improved nutrition
Medical improvements (vaccinations, antibiotics, NHS)
Public health improvements (better housing, clean water, clean air)
Social change (decline in manual labour, greater knowledge of disease)
Reasons for an aging population
The average age in the UK is increasing because of:
Increased life expectancy
Low infant mortality rate
Declining fertility
Impacts of an aging population
Increased strain on public services
More one-person households
The rising dependency ratio
Ageism
Phillipson (marxist) - aging population
The old are of no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive and an economically dependent group, adding to the dependency ratio
Hunt (postmodernist) - aging population
We can choose our identity no matter what our age is: our age no longer determines who we are. As a result of this, the elderly become a market for body maintenance and rejuvenation services and goods, such as cosmetic surgery, gym membership and anti-ageing products
GREY POUND
Reasons for migration
Push factors - unemployment and economic recession
Pull factors - higher wages and better opportunities
