Demography Flashcards
Why are death rates decreasing
- improved nutrition
- environment improvements
- medical improvements
- public health measures
Why are birth rates decreasing
- children as an economic liability
- decreased infant mortality
- child centred society
- changes in the position of women
inequalities of life expectancy
social class: working-class men are 3x more likely to die before the age of 65 than middle-class.
gender: women are likely to live longer, awareness, occupation and doctors
region: Scots and northerners generally have a lower life expectancy
Age of death
1900= 49 2013= men 78, women 82
Medical improvements in the UK
Public health policy 19th century, piped water, sewage systems
eradication of TB in late 20th century
NHS 1948
implication of the ageing population
- drain on NHS
- public transport
- powerful voters
- housing
- pension
- dependency ratio
Parsons
children- innocence
adolscence- independece
old age- loss of social roles
Jane Pichler
argues there is no ‘universal life cycle’ and everyone experiences differently based on class.
Vicent 1995
believes that women are more likely to experience ageing differently as are more likely to experience poverty due to less pension/savings
Hockey and James 1993
believes that age is often stereotyped and old people are infantised and treated like a child.
PM- Featherstone and Hepworth
believe the ‘life course’ has been deconstructed and broken down and is now less clear cut and important
- children and adult dress is less clear cut
- exposure of media means children aware of adult issues
- middle-class obsessed with staying young
- older people more active
mortality
infant mortality
morbidity
number of deaths per thousand each year
number of infants under 12 months each year
rates of illnesses
