Demography Flashcards
What is demography?
The study of population and their characteristics
What is the birth rate?
The number of live births per thousand of the population each year
When were the first 2 baby booms?
After both world wars. Returning servicemen started families that they had postponed during the war
When was the third baby boom?
1960s
What has the birth rate been doing?
Fluctuating- fell during 70s, rose during 80s,fell in the 90s and increased since 2001
Long term decline since 1900. In England and Wales in 1900 the birth rate was 28
By 2014 it is around 12
What are the factors determining birth rate?
The proportion of women at childbearing age
How fertile they are (how many children they have)
What is the total fertility rate?
The average number of children women will have during their fertile years
What is the fertility rate like?
Much lower than in the past
What do the changes in fertility and birth rate reflect?
More women are remaining childless than in the past
Women are postponing having children. Older women may be less fertile and have fewer fertile years remaining, and so they produce fewer children
How is changes in women’s position a reason for the declining birth rate?
Legal equality with men Increased educational opportunities for girls More women in paid employment Changes in attitudes to women's role Easier access to divorce Access to abortion and contraception
What does Harper note about changes in the position of women?
Education of women lead to a change in mindset, resulting in fewer children. See other possibilities in life. Choose to delay children for career
What is the infant mortality rate?
The number of infants who die before their first birthday, per thousand, per year
What does Harper argue about the fall in IMR as the reason for declining birth rate?
If many infants die, parents have more children to replace those they have lost, thereby increasing the birth rate. If infants die less then you will have less
What was the IMR in in 1900 and 2012?
154 and 4
Why did the IMR begin to fall?
Improved housing and bettter sanitation
Better nutrition
Better knowledge of hygiene, child welfare
A fall in the number of married women working
Improved services for mothers and children
How does children becoming and economic liability mean the birth rate has declined?
Children were economic assets because they could be sent to work. Now children have become a liability because of -
Laws banning child labour and making education compulsory
Changing norms about what children have a right to expect from their parents
As a result, parents now feel less able or willing to have a big family
How does childcenteredness cause the decline in birth rate?
Means childhood is constructed as an important period in an individuals life. This has encouraged a shift from quantity to quality so you can lavish more attention and resources on few
Why has there been a slight increase in births since 2001?
Increase in immigration with families that have a higher fertility rate
How has the family been affected by the declining birth rate?
Smaller families mean women are free to work, creating a dual earner couple.
How is the dependency ratio affected by the declining birth rate?
This is the relationship between the side of the working population and the size of the non working population
The earnings of the working population must be used to support the dependant population
A fall in children means the ‘burden of dependency’ is reduced
How are children vanishing?
With a falling fertility rate childhood may become a lonelier experience and more childless adults mean fewer voices speaking up for children’s interests
It could be argued that they actually become more valued
What is the death rate?
The number of deaths per thousand of the population per years
What was the death rate in 1900 and now?
19 and 9
What has been happening to the death rate?
Declining
What did Tranter argue was the reason for the decline in death rates?
Due to the fall in number of deaths from infections diseases which were a common killer of the young
By 1950s diseases of affluence -cancer and heart disease became the main cause
Why has improved nutrition reduced the amount of deaths from infection?
McKeown argued better nutrition accounted for half the reduction in death rates. Increased resistance and survival of infection
He fails to explain why women, who eat less, live longer than males
How did medical improvements reduce the amount of people who died from infectious diseases?
After the 1950s, improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisation did help to reduce death rates. Introduction of antibiotics, immunisation, NHS.
How has smoking and diet affected the number of people who die from infectious diseases?
Harper says it has not come from medical improvements but simply from reduction in smoking. However, obesity has replaced smoking
How has public health measures reduced the amount of deaths from infectious diseases?
Improvements in housing, purer drinking water, improved sewage etc.
What is life expectancy?
How long on average a person born in a given year can expect to live
What has happened to life expectancy?
As death rate decreases, the expectancy age increases
In 1900 it was 50 for men and in 2013 it was 90
What is the average age of population doing?
Rising.
What has caused an ageing population?
Increasing life expectancy
Dealing IMR
Declining fertility
How are the public services affected by an ageing population?
Older people consume a larger amount of services such as health and social care.
Although we should be aware of overgeneralising
How are houses affected by an ageing population?
One person pensioner households account for 1 in 8 households.
How is the dependency ratio affected by an ageing population?
Need to be provided for through taxation of the workers. The burden rises as the ageing population rises.
What negative result is there of an ageing population
Growth of ageism.
What do sociologists argue ageism is the result of?
Structured dependency, the old are excluded from paid work. In modern society our status is determined by our role in production. Therefore those who cant work are stigmatised.
What do postmodernists argue about the orderly. Stages of life course?
It has broken down. Eg children dressing in adult clothes, early retirement. Consumption becomes the key to our society. As a result the old become a market with for rejuvenation goods and services. These trends break down the ageist society Although some rogue postm understate the importance of class and gender inequalities
What is net migration?
Difference between the numbers of immigrants and the number of emigrants
What were the largest immigrant group from 1900 to ww2?
Irish, for economic reasons
During the 1950s who were the most popular immigrants?
Black immigrants from the Caribbean
Since 1900 where have people emigrated to?
USA, Canada, Australia
What are the main economic reasons for emigration?
‘Push’ factors- economic recession or unemployment at home
‘Pull’ factors- higher wages or better opportunities abroad
How has migration impacted population structure?
Population size- it is currently growing partly as a result of immigration.
Age structure-immigration lowers the average age of the population directly (immigrants are generally younger) and indirectly(immigrants are more fertile and have more babies)
What effects does immigration have on the dependency ratio?
Immigrants are more likely to be of working age so it is lowered
Although they will have chukldren that increases the dependency ratio
The longer a group is settled in the country, the more average their fertility rate becomes so the impact on the DR is reduced
How has globalisation affected the speed of migration?
Accelerated it
How is globalisation affected get the diversity of migrants?
Increasing - permanent settlers, students, spouses, refugees etc
Super diversity is the diversity within ethnic groups, individuals differ in terms of their legal status
How has globalisation affected the feminisation of migration?
Women now make up almost half of all global migrants.
Care work, domestic work and sex work in western countries is mostly done by women from poor countries because -
The expansion of service occupations has led to a need for female labour
Western women have joined the labour force and are less willing to do domestic work
Western men remain unwilling to do domestic work
The failure of the state to provide adequate childcare
What has globalisation done to migrants identity?
They don’t associate with one culture now because modern technology makes it possible to sustain global ties without travelling
What policies were brought in for immigration?
Assimilation
Multiculturalism
