Demography

Question 1

Demography

Answer 1

The study of a population and its characteristics

Question 2

Trend of birth rates

Answer 2

long term decline since 1990 where the birth rate went from 28.7 to 10.2 in 2020.

Question 3

Baby Boom’s

Answer 3

There were 3 baby booms in the 20th century, the first two came after the two World Wars, the third one was in the 1960’s

Question 4

Total Fertility Rate: Changes in fertility and birth rates reflect the fact:

Answer 4

• More women are remaining childless
• Women are postponing having children.

Question 5

Reasons for the decline in the birth rate

Answer 5

1. Changes in women’s position
2. Decline in the infant mortality rate
3. Children are now an economic liability
4. Child Centredness

Question 6

Changes in women’s position

Answer 6

• legal equality with men
• increased educational opportunities ( Harper (2012) the education of women is the most important reason for the long-term fall in birth & fertility rates.)
• more women in paid employment
• changes in attitudes to family life
• easier access to divorce
• access to abortion & contraception

Question 7

Decline in infant mortality rate.

Answer 7

Harper argues that a fall in the IMR leads to a fall in the birth rate, as if many infants die parents have to replace them increasing the birth rate. However, it also fell due to :
- improved housing
- better knowledge of hygiene
- improved services
- better nutrition

Question 8

Medical factors affecting IMR

Answer 8

By 1950 the UK’s IMR had fallen to 30 and by 2023 it was 3.3, this was due to new developments such as mass immunisation against childhood diseases such as whooping cough, measles and the use of antibiotics and improved midwifery contributed to a fall in the IMR.

However, Brass and Kabir 1978 argued that the trend to smaller families began not in rural areas, where IMR first began to fall, but in urban areas where IMR remained higher for longer.

Question 9

Statistic given for postponing children

Answer 9

In 2012, 1 in 5 women aged 45 were childless, double the number of 25 years ago

Question 10

Future trends for birth rates

Answer 10

Increased immigration may increase birth rate as mothers outside the UK have a higher fertility rate and they accounted for 25% of all births in 2011, however the projection for up to 2041 expects the annual number of births to be fairly constant at around 800,000 per year

Question 11

Effects of changes in fertility

Answer 11

The Family
The dependency ratio
Public Services and Policies

Question 12

Changes in Fertility: The Family

Answer 12

Smaller families mean women are more likely to go back to work, creating dual earner couples though better off couples may be able to have larger families and still afford childcare allowing them to both work full time

Question 13

Dependency Ratio

Answer 13

The relationship between the size of the working or productive part of the population and the size of the non-working or dependent part of the population, earning, saving, taxes of working population support the dependent population. Children make up large part of dependent population, so less reduces the ‘burden of dependency’ on working population. However less babies means less young adults to become the working population, so the burden of dependency may then increase

Question 14

Decreased Death Rate: Public Health

Answer 14

In 20th century, more effective central/local government with necessary power to pass and enforce laws led to a range of improvements in public health and quality of environment, including improvements in housing, purer drinking water, laws to combat adulteration of food and drink, pasteurisation of milk, and improved sewage disposal methods (clean air acts reduced air pollution that led to 4000 deaths in five days in 1952)

Question 15

Life expectancy in the UK

Answer 15

Born in 1900 life expectancy was 50 for males and 57 for females, Born in 2013 life expectancy is 90.7 for males and 94 for females

Question 16

Lower average life expectancy in 1900.

Answer 16

The fact that so many infants and children didn’t survive beyond early years of life, eg a baby born today has a better chance of reaching its 65th birthday than a baby born in 1900 had of reaching its first birthday

Question 17

Postmodernity & old age

Answer 17

Hunt (2005) argues that we can choose a lifestyle and identity regardless of age as it no longer determines how we live. The old become a market for a vast range of ‘ body maintenance’ goods and services through which they can create their identities.

Question 18

Inequalities among the old

Answer 18

Pilcher ( 1995) argues that inequalities such as class and gender remain important.

Class: middle class has better occupational pensions and greater savings from higher salaries

Gender: women’s lower earnings, added to career breaks as carers result in lower pensions. Described as ‘old hags’

Question 19

Postmodernists : Age concern

Answer 19

Age Concern: (2004) found that more than 29% of people reported suffering age discrimination than any other form

Question 20

Policy Implications

Answer 20

Hirsch (2005) argues that several important social policies will need to change to tackle new problems posed by an aging population, the latest problem is how to finance a longer period of old age. Hirsch recognized that the policy change requires a cultural shift in attitudes towards old age, he views old age as a social construct

Question 21

Feminization of migration: Globalisation of the gender division of labor

Answer 21

Ehrenreich & Hochschild (2003) noticed that women do care & domestic work form poor countries which led to these trends:
- The expansion of service occupations in western countries

• Western women have joined the labor force
• Western men remain unwilling to do domestic work
• failure of the state to provide adequate childcare

Question 22

Migrant identities: Hybrid Identities

Answer 22

Eade (1994) found that second-generation Bangladeshi Muslims in Britain created hierarchical identities. ( saw themselves as muslim, bengali, then british)

Question 23

Migrant Identities: Transnational identities

Answer 23

Eriksen (2007) globalization has created more diverse migration patterns, with back-and-forth movements. Migrants may develop transnational identities.

Question 24

Assimilationism

Answer 24

State Policy to approach immigration, aimed to encourage immigrants to adopt the language, values, & customs to make them feel like ‘us’. However immigrants may not be willing to abandon their culture

Question 25

multiculturalism

Answer 25

multiculturalism accepts that migrants may wish to retain a separate cultural identity. Eriksen distinguishes two different diversity:

shallow diversity: for example, the chicken tikka masala as a British national dish, is acceptable to the state

deep diversity: such as arranged marriages are not acceptable to the state

However, Castles & Kosack ( 1973 ) say that this benefits capitalism by creating a racially divided working class.