Demography Flashcards
What is demography?
The study of populations and their characteristics.
What are the missing words?
‘The birth rate is defined as the number of _____ ______ per __________ of the population per ____.’
- live births
- thousand
- year
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
More effective and accessible contraception
Have always been contraceptive methods and devices but there is more and has become more technically effective and user friendly
Attitudes towards using it has improved (greater sex Ed in school)
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Greater opportunities for women
- feminisation of the workforce
- women putting careers before children
What did Sue Sharpe find in her study of school girls in the 1970s
School girls main concerns for the future were ‘love, marriage, husbands and children’
When she repeated study in the 1990s the priorities had changed to ‘job, career and being able to support themselves’
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Changing attitudes of women
Sarah Harper (2012) said the education of women is the most important reason for the long-term fall in birth and fertility rates. Many choosing to delay childbearing or not have children at all. -2012 one in 5 women ages 45 was childless (child free)-choice
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Decline in infant mortality rate
Couples used to have a large numbered children as they didn’t expect many of them survive.
Feel as though they no longer need to do this as IMR is so low now (1900 was 154 but now only 4)
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Economic liability
Until late 19th century children were economic assets. (Sent to work at early age for extra income)
Now children have become an economic liability remaining economically dependent of their parents
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Individualisation
According to Beck & Beck-Gernsheim people are now wanting to enjoy life so postponing having children or choosing to be child free
Couple scared to ‘risk’ relationship by adding complication on a child
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Child centredness
- increasing child centredness
- childhood is now socially constructed as a uniquely important period
- parents having fewer children and lavish more attention and resources on these few
Reasons for why people are having less babies:
Small families are more fashionable
- ‘cereal packet’ family used so much that a compact nuclear family became the family type of choice
- smaller families the norm. Large tend to be seen as deviant or less acceptable
Reason for decline in death rate:
Medical improvements
Since the 1950s improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisation has helped to reduce death rates.
(Antibiotics, immunisation, blood transfusions, improves maternity services, NHS 1948)
Reason for decline in death rate:
Public health measures
-20th century a number of laws were passed. Led to improvements in public health + quality of environment
(Improvements in housing, purer drinking water, improved sewage disposal)
-clean air acts reduced air pollution. Smog that led to 4000 deaths in five days 1952
Reason for decline in death rate:
Improved nutrition
Thomas McKeown (1972) argues improved nutrition accounted for up to half the reduction in death rates -better diet increased resistance to infection and survival of those who became infected
Reason for decline in death rate:
Improved awareness and education
- greater public knowledge of the causes of disease + how to prevent them
- recent government campaigns encourage people to stop smoking and healthier lifestyles
Reason for decline in death rate:
Less dangerous jobs
- decline in dangerous manual occupations such as mining
- helped to improve life expectancy for males
