demography Flashcards
what is demography
the study of populations and their characteristics e.g. size and age structure
factors that impact the size of a countries population
births
deaths
immigration
emigration
birth rate
the number of live births per year per 1000 of the population
birth rate stats
there had been a decrease in birth rate from 1900-2001
the birth rate has been increasing since and peaked in 2012 at 12.8 - fallen to 12.2 by 2014
factors determining birth rate
the proportion of women at childbearing age
how fertile they are
fertility rate stats
the total fertility rate
all time low in 2001- 1.63
rose in 2012- 1.94
far lower than its peak in 1964- 2.95
reasons for declining birth rate (1900-2001)
CHANGES IN POSITION OF WOMEN
- legal equality with me- right to vote
- more educational opportunities
- more women in payed employment
- changes in attitudes to ‘women’s role’
- access to contraceptives
harper (2012)
- argued that the most important reason for the decline in BR was women’s education.
- led to a changed mindset among women
- women now see other possible life choices other than traditional housewife and mother - pursuing a career
- In 2012 1/5 women at 40 had no children
reasons for declining birth rate (1900-2001)
DECLINE IN INFANT MORTALITY RATE
- the number of infants who die before their first birthday per year per 1000
- improved housing and better sanitation
- better nutrition
- better knowledge of hygiene
infant mortality rate stats
in 1900 IMR was 154 in the uk (15%)
by 1950 it had fallen to 30
by 2012 it was 4- barely 1/40 of the 1900 figure
future birth rate trends
-there has been a fall overall but a slight increase since 2001
- one reason for this is migrations - mothered from outside the uk have higher fertility on average (account for 25% of all births in 2011)
- predicted annual births for up to 2041 is 800000
impact of fertility changes
fewer children- less value placed on children’s needs in society
the dependency ratio- less children reduces the ‘burden of dependency’
death rate
the number of deaths per 1000 per year
reasons for the decline in death rate during 20th century
DECLINE FROM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
by 1950 ‘disease of affluence’ like heart disease of cancer were the main cause of death- overtook infectious disease
some theorise we developed a natural resistance- natural resistance
tranter (1996)
3/4 of the decline in death rate from 1850- 1970 was due to the fall in infectious diseases
reasons for the decline in death rate during 20th century
IMPROVED NUTRITION
(McKeown (1972))
improved nutrition accounted for up to half the reduction in death rates- important in reducing tuberculosis
however McKeown does not explain why females who eat smaller share live longer than males
reasons for the decline in death rate during 20th century
MEDICAL IMPROVEMENTS
advances include introducing antibiotics, immunisation, blood transfusion and the NHS (1948)
life expectancy
life expectancy refers to to how long on average a person born in a given year can expect to live
life expectancy stats
in 2012 the average life expectancy has increased 78.8 for males and 82.8 years for females
life expectancy stats
in 2012 the average life expectancy has increased 78.8 for males and 82.8 years for females
ageing population stats
the average age of the population in 1911 was 25 in 2013 it was 40.3 and by 2037 it is projected to reach 42.8
the ageing population is a result of three factors:
increased life expectancy
decline in infant mortality
decline in fertility
effects on an ageing population
PUBLIC SERVICES
older people consume a larger proportion of health and social services
and ageing population may also mean there are changes to policies and provisions
effects on an ageing population
CHANGES IN FAMILY STRUCTURE
there is an increase in extended families
people living longer there are an increased in multi generational and beanpole families
effects on an ageing population
SINGLE-PERSON PENSIONER HOUSEHOLDS
the number of pensioners living alone has increased and single person pensioner households now account for 12.5% or one in eight of all households
effects on an ageing population
THE DEPENDANCY RATIO
as the number of retired people rise, this increases the dependency ratio
however it is wrong to assume that old means someone is economically dependent
phillipson (1982)
the old are no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive- as a result the state are unwilling to support them
postmodernists on ageism
they argue that the fixed orderly life stage course has broken down. trends like latwr marriage and early retirement have blurred lines on life stages
they are criticised for not recognising that it is because of class and gender inequalities
migration
the movement of people from place to place it can be internal or international
immigration
1900-WW2- largest immigration were the irish and european jews
1950s- carribean, south asian and east asia
by 2011 minority ethnic groups accounted for 12-1% of the total population
emigration
since 1900 a great number of immigrants have gone to old commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia
mainly for economic reasons for both push and pull factors
