Demography Flashcards
Demography
demography is the study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations.
Birth Rate
Birth rate is thenumber of live births per year per 1000 of the population. This is affected by the number of women of childbearing age (15 - 44) in the population.
Infant morality Rate
Infant mortality rate is the number of babies who die per 1000 of the population during 1st year.
Fertility rate
Fertility rate is the number of live births per year per 1000 women of childbearing age.
Total Fertility rate
Total fertility rate is the Average number of children women in a population have during childbearing years. In 2023 it was 1.44 children per woman.
changes in birth and fertility rates -changes in women’s position- Harper
Increasing legal equality with men, educational opportunities, more women in paid employment, easier access to divorce, access to abortion and contraception and greater control over fertility.
Sarah Harper argues the education of women is the most important reason for the long-term fall in birth and fertility rates. It has led to a change in mindset amongst women so they plan their families and delay childbirth, pursuing a career first.
Harper also notes that once a pattern of low fertility lasts for more than one generation, cultural norms about family size change and smaller families become a social norm.
Decline in infant mortality rate- Harper
The number of infants who die before their first birthday per 1000 babies born alive, per year.
Harper argues that a fall in the IM rate leads to a fall in the birth rate because if many infants die parents have to replace those lost. In 1900 the IMR was 154, in other words 15% of babies died within their first year. Less developed countries still have a high IMR.
In the first half of the 20th century, in the UK improved sanitation and housing reduced infectious disease and improved nutrition and knowledge of hygiene benefited mothers and their children. There was also better maternity services. From the 1950s onward improved medical facilities and vaccinations also improved babies’ health.
Children are an economic liability
Until the late 19th century children were economic assets to their parents because they could be sent out to work from an early age and generate income. However, during the late 19th century laws were introduced banning children from working and stipulating that they had to be in education. Children are now required to be in education until the age of 18 and are economically dependent on their parents.
Norms about what children can expect from their parents have changed and so it is now much more costly to have children than in the past.
Parents are now less able and willing to have large families.
Child centredness
Childhood is now viewed as a uniquely important time in an individuals’ life and so parents emphasize having quality relationships with their children.
he dependency ratio – This is the relationship between the size of the working population and the dependent population. Children are part of the dependent population but when they grow up, they will become part of the working population. If in the future, there is a small working population and large older population it will be difficult for those working to economically and socially provide for the elderly.
Social policy – Schools, maternity care, housing, ageing population
